Firefighters get hosed

WINSTED — Before selectman had a chance to leave their meeting Monday night, they were told budget cuts made that evening would not be supported by the fire chief and his department.

During the course of a lengthy meeting, several line items were placed on the chopping block, including $10,500 for a new hose for the Winsted Fire Department and about $40,000 more in cuts to the department that had chief Robert Shopey fuming with anger.

Selectman Michael Renzullo questioned the nature of the cut as he said he recalled the hose being a necessity during the last budget hearings. Renzullo was told the department no longer needed a new hose because it had others to use. Selectman Gene Berlinski said the fire department did not want to use the current hose and that the department preferred a better hose, as one would prefer a Cadillac over a Buick.

Chief Shopey told town leaders they were gravely misinformed and doing an injustice to the town. He said he was not consulted about any additional cuts to the budget and that the department was blindsided by the decision to reduce fire department funding.

"This was typical, that they were reviewing the budget and making cuts, yet no one chose to contact any department head to say there were going to be budget cuts," Shopey said in an interview Wednesday. "In our case, we relied on someone who was watching it [on television] and let us know that cuts were being made. Others weren’t so lucky to have someone watching and call them."

Shopey told selectmen Monday night that the hose is a necessity for the department, not a desire.

"The 2-and-a-half-inch hose is our primary attack hose for large-scale fires. Any fire that is larger than a room fire, you want to deploy your larger hose," said Shopey. The chief added that water flow and pressure varies with different hose sizes.

Shopey said the department’s current hose does not meet equipment standards. According to National Fire Protection Association standards, a fire hose has a service life of approximately 15 years. The hose currently used by the WFD is 25 years old and has been deteriorating.

"This is a necessity and we will fight vigorously to have it," Shopey said. "It is a safety issue, as far as I am concerned, and we need to provide our firefighters with the best and safest equipment that we can.

"If in fact we do end up losing the $10,500, I certainly do not intend to support the budget as it stands just based on the fire department issues," Shopey continued. "There is no fluff in the budget. Our budget is by no means a wish list and I do realize that people don’t want taxes to raise. I pay taxes and I don’t want to see my taxes go up, but I want to maintain the service that we want to provide. There is no way that we can see a reduction in our budget and maintain the same service."

Shopey said this is not the first time the fire department has received cuts that hurt the town.

"The fire houses are in deplorable condition. We have asked for years to replace furnaces so they are more energy efficient and windows," said Shopey. He continued to say that last winter the center fire house alone used 50 gallons of fuel a day because of an old furnace that is in desperate need of upgrading. In addition, the two other fire stations, built in 1956, are equipped with their original furnaces. By not upgrading, the town is wasting more money than they are saving, said Shopey, who continued to say these are just two examples of fire department budget issues.

"Every year we go without because of the fiscal crisis that we are having. That means that every year we are not getting the proper equipment that we need," said Shopey.