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Bolton fire commission: BVFD reports 42 calls, details apparatus upgrades and warns of tight budget year
Summary
At the June 27 meeting, Fire Chief Bruce Dixon reported 42 emergency responses in the prior month, listed recent apparatus upgrades for Service, Forestry and Marine units, and warned that potential budget cuts after a June 21 vote could make 2022–23 challenging for the Bolton Volunteer Fire Department.
The Bolton Fire Commission met on June 27, 2022. Fire Chief Bruce Dixon told commissioners the Bolton Volunteer Fire Department responded to 42 emergencies in the past month, citing numerous EMS calls, one motor-vehicle accident on I‑384, a smoke investigation on Tolland Road that was likely a campfire, and two separate residential fires on Brookfield caused when a tree came into contact with wires. The department also assisted at an abandoned paper mill and completed four cover assignments.
Dixon said the department took an active role at the recent Strawberry Festival at Fish Farm, both staffing the event and providing apparatus, and that BVFD members marched and displayed apparatus in the Memorial Day Parade. He said department volunteers handled ordering and installation of American flags and 300th Anniversary flags in the town center, with the flags purchased using funds supplied by the 300th Anniversary Committee.
The chief reported several budget transfers were executed to purchase items identified during the budget process. He credited Chair John Morianos and Treasurer Elizabeth Malone for involvement in major purchases. With the 2021–2022 fiscal year closing and after a budget vote on June 21, Dixon said the department faces a potentially challenging 2022–2023 budget year if cuts are enacted.
On apparatus, Dixon said Service 134 had lighting and compartment work completed by J&S Radio. Forestry 134 has arrived from the dealer and is at J&S Radio for radio and lighting installations; off‑road tires are scheduled to be installed in mid‑July and the vehicle's fire pump and tank are expected in August or September. Marine 134 received emergency lighting and a mobile radio last week, and a training drill on Bolton Lake confirmed that systems functioned well.
Dixon added there is not yet a scheduled date for the engineering conference for ET134. He also noted that the Firefighter Memorial Garden dedication on June 11 drew more than eighty attendees.
The commission approved the May 25, 2022 minutes by voice vote and set its next meeting for July 25, 2022. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
