Fire services panel flags aging fleet, staffing gaps and seeks radio upgrade funding

The Fire Services Review Special Committee met June 18, 2025, in Waterford, Conn., to discuss department data, fleet condition and communications upgrades as it works toward a final report expected by the end of fiscal 2025.

Chris Haley, Director of Fire Services, read a brief written statement and told the committee he will provide regular updates as staff finalizes recommendations. "Haley will write up his rolling stock plan," the minutes record, and he said rotating lower-mileage apparatus into core stations could extend vehicle life while the department moves toward 24/7 coverage at a third station.

Haley told the committee that the department has 22 apparatus, three of which are out of service; one is a ladder truck that has been out of service for seven months and requires costly repairs. He also highlighted large disparities in mileage between similar trucks, citing units stationed at Jordan and Goshen with about 88,000 and 33,000 miles, respectively. Haley said using the certified mechanic in Public Works for annual inspections and smaller repairs could reduce downtime and save money.

Ronnie Williams reported he received more than 300 pages of response-time records shortly before the meeting and said the system used to print those pages "does not allow for creation of electronic files," so Tim Condon agreed to scan the documents into a searchable PDF. Steven Sinagra, Director of Emergency Management, confirmed the same data exists in other town systems but cautioned that recordkeeping was less consistent in earlier years and that COVID-era anomalies affect some historical figures.

Sinagra also described planned changes to the federal incident reporting system (NFIRS) that will incorporate EMS data and said the updated system should enable more customized queries and reporting for the committee's analysis.

On communications, Sinagra said the town submitted a bonding request to cover the remaining cost of radio upgrades and is hoping to appear on the State Bonding Commission agenda June 27. He said the upgrade will need three towers; the state will upgrade the Miner Lane tower, and the town is building a separate system that will tie into the state system as a backup. The minutes record that the new mobile units cost about $800,000 and that a Motorola package incentive of $570,000 would offset part of the expense, though the Motorola contract may carry higher prices.

Members criticized the town's fleet management plan, noting it was implemented in 2011 and has not been updated to reflect inflation, longer lead times for apparatus, or contemporary repair cycles. Tim Condon and Susan Driscoll said the annual $1 million allotment for fleet needs may no longer be sufficient. Committee members agreed a case for revising the plan could be included in the final report and advocated for those revisions to their respective boards.

Formal business included two motions by Tim Condon, seconded by Susan Driscoll, to approve the May 1 and May 29, 2025 minutes; both passed by unanimous voice vote. Richard Muckle moved, and Tim Condon seconded, a motion to adjourn at 7:55 p.m.; the motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

The committee tentatively agreed to meet again on Wednesday, June 25, at 6:00 p.m. for follow-up on data, the rolling-stock plan and the bonding request.