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Fire chief cites staffing strains, names Brian France assistant chief; outlines grants and facility repairs
Summary
Middletown’s fire chief reported staffing shortages and high overtime, said he appointed Brian France as assistant fire chief, and described funding progress — including a $350,000 Urban Act award and a $275,000 federal grant application — plus needed roof and alerting-system repairs. No public commenters spoke.
The fire chief reported that the department is operating under significant staffing and overtime pressure, announced the appointment of Brian France as assistant fire chief and described progress on grants, equipment donations and facility repairs.
The chief said the department handled 335 calls last month and responded to a small Johnson Street fire at the Katy property that was quickly knocked down. "We had 335 calls last month," he said. He also said the department provided mutual aid to the South Fire District last week.
Why it matters: the chief warned that prolonged absences (a current long-term light-duty case and upcoming military deployment and FMLA leave) and an imminent retirement on July 1 will create promotion cascades and additional vacancies, driving overtime costs. The chief outlined recruitment steps, including upcoming entry-level tests, oral boards and an academy starting in late August.
Details: the chief said he completed assistant chief interviews and appointed Brian France, who had been acting in the role for about one to two months. "Brian France is now my new assistant fire chief," the chief said, praising France’s performance while acting in the role.
Operations and equipment: the chief described several operational priorities. He reported a significant roof leak at the Cross Street facility, which nearly affected dispatch during April wind-driven rains; the department patched the leak and is soliciting quotes for emergency repair and likely full roof replacement. He criticized the previously installed alerting system as unreliable — calling it "complete garbage" — and said the city will move forward with a Norcom evaluation and purchase to fix tone and reliability issues. The transcript records that the department plans to retrofit Truck 1’s air-conditioning because the original manufacturer is no longer in business.
Funding and grants: the chief said Senator Lester secured $350,000 in Urban Act funds for the department’s training building; finance staff and others are working to identify remaining funds. He also said the department advanced in the Assistance to Firefighters Grant process for approximately $275,000 in training funding and that reviewers requested confirmation of grant-writing support before reimbursing grant-writing costs. "We made it to the next phase," he said of the federal grant application. Wesleyan’s financial officer has indicated an intention to donate funds for equipment, and Liberty Bank donated new AEDs to the department.
Telecom and other metrics: the telecom report was summarized with several figures (the chief cited about 6,209 incidents); parts of the telecom numbers were unclear in the transcript and should be verified with the telecom report for publication.
What’s next: the chief said he will follow up with the commission as quotes, funding decisions and grant determinations are finalized. The commission took no public comments; members approved the previous meeting’s minutes by voice vote and adjourned the meeting.
