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Resident and fire commission chair press council for answers on firefighter staffing and safety
Summary
A resident and the fire commission chair urged Southington officials to explain a $2 million request for 12 additional firefighters and warned of resignations tied to pay and safety concerns, while council members directed the commenter to the fire commission for follow-up.
A Southington resident and the chairman of the town’s Fire Commission urged the town council on public comment to clarify why the town is seeking funds for 12 additional firefighters and warned the council it is losing experienced personnel.
Brian Teske, who said he lives at 362 Mill Street, told the council he filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the department’s incident counts over the last 12 months and said the records he reviewed do not clearly justify the request for 12 firefighters and roughly $2,000,000. "I really don't see it here," Teske said, citing about "550 false alarms," "505 rescue EMS" responses, "235 hazardous responses" and "79 fires" in the period he reviewed. He questioned the relationship between the town and AMR ambulance service and asked why the fire department often responds to EMS calls "when we pay them." He said he would return after obtaining more EMS contract and call‑report records.
Tim Wilk, chairman of the Fire Commission and a resident at 144 Scenic Drive, told the council the town had lost another firefighter to resignation and said the departing employee took roughly a $30,000 pay cut at a new department but cited safety and contract‑flexibility concerns in deciding to leave. "I'm concerned that this trend is only gonna grow, and we're gonna continue to lose good experienced firefighters," Wilk said, describing earlier resignations including a captain who stepped down and noting superiors had described the most recent leaver as "one of the best firefighters and a fantastic paramedic."
Council members directed Teske to the monthly fire commission meeting for detailed operational answers and noted the commission’s chair was present to discuss staffing. The council did not take formal action on staffing or funding at the meeting; members encouraged public follow‑up and said staff or the commission could provide the detailed numbers Teske requested.
The public comments left two matters unresolved in the meeting record: Teske said he would return with AMR contract and call‑report records to support or challenge the $2,000,000 figure, and the council did not adopt or reject any staffing proposal during this session. The fire commission chair’s report of resignations and safety concerns was presented as a reason for urgency but did not result in a formal directive or vote at this meeting.
