Fire volunteers seek ways to save school

Proposed cuts to state funding for Connecticut’s eight fire schools had local emergency services volunteers concerned. Fire service officials have now countered with proposed legislation that could save the schools, and perhaps even reorganize them in a way that benefits everyone.Volunteer firefighters are required to put in extensive hours of training. Those in Litchfield County and beyond have attended classes and hands-on training for the past 50 years at the Burrville Fire School in Torrington.Director Rich Winn said he has 55 fire departments on his mailing list, and that the school often takes overflow from other schools.According to Winn, the Burrville School receives $80,000 annually from the state to help offset operating costs. As part of his budget trimming, Gov. Dannel Malloy has proposed 25 percent cuts over each of the next two years.“He wants to cut our funding in half,” Winn said. “The only other way we get funding is through fees for classes from municipalities and volunteer fire companies. We currently charge $600 for 200 hours of basic Firefighter 1 training. We’re talking $1,000 to $2,000 for basic training by the time this proposal would be done.”Local firefighters worry that the school will be forced to close, leaving them to travel to Windsor Locks or farther for training. For many, that means at least a two-hour round trip to attend a three-hour class twice a week and every other weekend for four months. Members of the Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations have come up with what they believe is a better plan. It offers a reconsolidation of training for all emergency personnel, including police officers, as well as some training for public health officials, and brings it under Homeland Security and associated funding. Not only would it take the fire school subsidy burden off the state, but it would give more fee-based business to the schools. Winn also noted that Connecticut does not have any state firefighters. Protection of vast amounts of state forests and other public land here falls mainly to volunteers. Some local fire departments also lend out space for training, which becomes a cost for them.“We are looking at a lot of options to make things easier for trainees, such as online quizzes and a summer course for college students,” Winn said.They will also send an instructor to local firehouses for some classes, including advanced certifications. But the basic training all firefighters must take includes a lot of hands-on training that can only be taught at the school.Winn said citizens can help by writing to their state legislators, and requesting that they:• support the fire service plan for reorganization and consolidation under Homeland Security• oppose the governor’s proposed cuts.