Chief Albert urges city action as failing ladder truck, staffing strain raise safety and budget questions

Fire Chief Albert told the Middletown Public Safety Commission on Nov. 17 that the fire department is stretched by high call volume and aging apparatus, and he asked the city for clearer financing direction to replace a failing ladder truck.

“We had 341 calls for service,” Chief Albert said as he opened the department’s monthly report, adding that the department’s dive teams had an unusually busy month. He described a range of operational strains that include two current vacancies, multiple upcoming family medical leaves and recent military deployments, and said the overtime fill line is already about 85% expended.

Albert outlined a technology pilot to improve firefighter safety: a company called Florian demonstrated an accountability-tracking system that would use ruggedized cell phones to track crews’ locations inside structures and display pinpoint geolocation on a command-post screen. “If we lose radio communication… that system will… tell me exactly where you are, pinpoint geolocation in that building,” he said, saying the tool would assist mayday and missing-crew responses as well as large-event staffing.

A committee member asked for clarification, and Albert said the system is intended to provide a real-time overlay of crew positions to aid rescue and resource allocation when radios fail.

Much of the meeting focused on apparatus maintenance and replacement. Chief Albert said Truck 1 has been out of service for more than a month and estimated $40,000–$50,000 in repairs so far. He called the vehicle a “lemon” and warned that continued repairs are increasingly expensive.

“I’ve been asking… what our plan action is because it’s over the referendum amount,” Albert said, asking whether the city could bond the purchase, split purchases by chassis and cab, or use a referendum. He said he has not received clear answers from the finance office and plans to take the matter to the mayor for direction. Albert said a replacement ladder truck would cost about $2,100,000 and that delay increases the eventual price.

The chief also briefed the commission on capital priorities for training facilities. The department has $500,000 available for a training building but their preferred model has been repriced to about $634,000; Albert proposed buying a four-container training system that fits the current budget and adding modules later.

On personnel, Albert announced the hire of Mark Centaro as an alarm technician and said he expects a recruit to graduate Dec. 5; he also reported a recent recruit resignation and a conditional offer for a recruit-certified candidate who could start Dec. 28. He warned that staffing shortages and predictable leaves have driven overtime costs and that he will request an appropriation.

Telecommunications staff numbers were reported as 19 dispatchers with one in training and a civilian dispatch training position opened; the transcript included incident and call counts that were not clearly recorded in the audio, which the chief noted.

The commission approved minutes from the Oct. 20 meeting by voice vote and adjourned unanimously at 7:14 p.m. Chief Albert said he will seek financial direction from the finance office and mayor’s office on whether to place apparatus purchases on order and how to finance them.