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Bolton Volunteer Fire Department reports 45 calls since last meeting; promotions and equipment testing highlighted
Summary
Chief Dixon told the Bolton Fire Commission the department handled 45 calls since the last meeting (120 year-to-date), promoted two members to lieutenant, and flagged immediate costs for annual inspections and hydrostatic testing of 35 SCBA cylinders as the 2019-20 budget is reviewed.
The Bolton Volunteer Fire Department responded to 45 emergency calls since the last commission meeting and 120 calls so far this year, Chief Dixon told the Bolton Fire Commission on March 25, 2019. The incidents included motor-vehicle accidents, downed wires and trees, an appliance fire, an LPG emergency at the Bolton Ice Palace, mutual aid to Manchester and numerous medical calls.
Chief Dixon said the department has been focusing on EMS response and required on-scene paperwork and described recent training, including a large-scale, hands-on SCBA drill that practiced search-and-rescue in smoke-filled conditions and a DEEP Wildfire drill at Bolton High School that drew firefighters from across the state. He also noted attendance at multiple regional meetings, including the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association and a Region 3 EMS meeting.
Two members were promoted: John DeMorro and Michael Eremita have been elevated to the rank of lieutenant, the chief said. Chief Dixon also publicly thanked Joyce Stille, the department's administrative officer, for 30 years of service.
Looking ahead, Chief Dixon told commissioners that a large portion of the current-year budget will be spent in the coming month on annual inspections and testing of apparatus, hose and ladders. He said 35 SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) cylinders will need hydrostatic testing, noting it has been five years since the department received the grant that supplied those bottles. The 2019-2020 budget is under review by the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance, the chief said.
Deputy Fire Chief Pete Morra asked the commission for additional volunteers for the upcoming Bolton Road Race and said training and gear would be provided to those who sign up. The commission scheduled its next meeting for Monday, April 22, 2019, and adjourned at 8:14 p.m.
This account is based on remarks recorded in the March 25, 2019 Bolton Fire Commission minutes; where a speaker was named in the minutes the article attributes facts to that speaker.
