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10/31/2014 12:00 AMThe following press release was issued at last night's Special Meeting of North Branford Board of Fire Commissioners.
NORTH BRANFORD - OCT. 30, 2014 PRESS RELEASE FROM NORTH BRANFORD BOARD OF FIRE COMISSIONERS: The purpose of this letter/Press Release, authored by the North Branford Board of Fire Commissioners, is to support Fire Chief William Seward, III in his ability to perform the required duties assigned to his position. These duties include but are not limited to responsibilities outlined in the North Branford Town Code Chapter 40-7 and the position description for Chief of Fire Services authorized by this Board.
As many townspeople have heard, the possibility exists that a propane storage facility may be constructed at 40 Ciro Road. As part of this process the applicant applied to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a regulation change that would allow for the storage of propane. It was during this process that Fire Chief William Seward, III was called upon by the Commission to seek his professional advice on this project. Before we begin to explain our position on this matter, we assembled some facts about our fire chief.
The North Branford Board of Fire Commissioners hired Chief Seward based upon his impeccable employment history, college degrees, many years of experience in a career fire department, his skill, knowledge and abilities related to emergency medical service operations, a comprehensive list of fire, EMS, hazardous materials and homeland security certifications and, his ability to lead a professional volunteer fire department into a new era of service delivery. Additionally, he is involved in regional activities as Fire Chief serving as the Chairperson for the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security’s Region 2 Hazardous Materials Team. Since becoming fire chief in 2005, Chief Seward has demonstrated a high level of administrative competence, communicates clearly and concisely, effectively blends management skills with technical expertise and has effectively developed individual, departmental and organizational goals to meet the objectives of the North Branford Fire Department. Most recently he has led the Department into a new service delivery through the implementation of a fire department based paramedic service that in just a short time has been instrumental in saving residents lives. Even though the position is part-time, it holds full time responsibilities. To those few points, the Board of Fire Commissioners realizes they hired the right person to lead the town’s fire service.
The matter of opening a propane storage facility in this community has brought to the forefront many faces in our town – some have smiles others frowning with frustration. It has forced some to form a unified front to stop such projects while others freely voiced their opinions toward the proposal, potential occupant, town officials and our fire chief. In particular, a small but boisterous select group of residents have taken the opportunity to humiliate, defame and spread rumors about Chief Seward. As the Chief’s superiors, we empathetically disagree with this type of public behavior focused against our department leader. More importantly, his professional opinion and facts that he has presented to the Town Council, Planning and Zoning Commission and the Inland and Wetlands Agency is based upon national standards for the propane industry. He has stated numerous times that the proposed project meets and or exceeds National Fire Protection Association 58, “Standard for the Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gases” and similar Connecticut Fire Safety Codes. Furthermore, town fire officials (Fire Chief Seward, Deputy Fire Chief Esposito, Fire Marshal Bunnell, Deputy Fire Marshal O’Brien and Deputy Chief of Training Colangelo) along with other town staff met with Jody Pratt Ameden of Energy Consulting, LLC to formulate the required propane facility fire safety analysis. This written document substantiates and supports the ability of the town’s fire department to meet the minimum requirements set forth under applicable codes and standards to plan, prepare, respond, mitigate and recover from a propane incident. However, during a recent town meeting members of the public accused the fire chief of lying about the departments capabilities to handle such an emergency based upon their interpretation of a February 2014 Insurance Services Office Public Protection Classification survey. The community should realize this report was very positive for our department and taxpayers alike since the results in fact demonstrated an improvement in the level of fire protection delivered by the North Branford Fire Department. Our changes in operational procedures, training, equipment, and mutual aid agreements moved us from a Class 4/9 to a new category of 4/4Y (4/8b). Residents and business owners may witness a decrease in their fire insurance premiums with this new rating schedule. As a Board, we recognize that the average citizen would not understand the actual rating schedule or grading that goes into this process. Furthermore, certain sub categories may be viewed as deficiencies but this is due to the lack of a dedicated training facility for the fire department, lack of town infrastructure for water mains and a single dispatcher to handle fire, police, EMS and public works communications. Each of these areas can be improved and as the Board of Fire Commissioners, we fight yearly for service upgrades during the budget process.
In addition to the facts cited above, Chief Seward has maintained an open line of communications between him and representatives from the fire marshal’s office and has presented related information to this Board during our regular monthly meetings. He has continually stressed the fact that this proposed project exceeds fire safety requirements stated in NFPA 58. It is a fact the fire safety consultant listened to the Chief and his staff, implementing a fire protection system that provides a high level of safety for the public. In return the proposed site owners agreed to provide additional training for fire personnel and provide supplemental equipment that may be employed for suppression operations. A representative from the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) also offered their expertise into supplemental training for our members.
Another point brought forward during a recent public meeting from an angry citizen focused on the “Nexgen System” not working and thus the Chief lied again about the department’s response. It is a fact that the Nexgen system referred to is managed and controlled by the towns’ emergency communications system within the police department. As the Chief advised this Board, there have been some periods where this information management system has failed. However, this is not our radio communications system and dispatching units to calls has not been disrupted. As a Board, we must place emphasis on the fact that many citizens within this community are unaware of the intricacies pertaining to fire service delivery. We must state strongly, today’s fire department is not like that which many remember. We must conform to state and national standards and there is no difference between those requirements whether one is a career or a professional volunteer firefighter or fire officer. More importantly, comments made during public meetings by the untrained, uninformed person against our men and women should not be entertained. Moreover it is not the Fire Chief’s responsibility to provide an evacuation plan for residential and or health care facilities. It is however that owners responsibility working in concert with the town’s emergency management officials to devise such plan. Most similar occupancies in this state have instituted an all-hazards plan approach following federal recommendations and guidelines.
We are all concerned about prudent fiscal management, providing good reliable services to the public and maintain taxes that we all can afford. The community should know that since 2005, the North Branford Fire Department has received more than $1.1 million dollars federal grants that aid in sustaining our comprehensive operations. Without the grant funds that were applied for by Chief Seward, two things would have occurred – first, the town would have been responsible for the full amount or worse, the department would not be in a position to respond to fires and other emergencies due to the lack of proper training and equipment required by NFPA and OSHA. To that point, we are most grateful to have Chief Seward lead our 110 person department.
Finally, every now and then the news media generates frenzy over what is statistically a very rare occurrence – cameras can make drama. As a town appointed Board responsible for the fire service, we have established high standards for its administration starting at the top. Firefighter safety and well-being has always been a top priority. There are over 60 propane storage facilities in this state; some are protected by career personnel while others by volunteer departments. Facility installations must all meet the same criteria, a fire safety analysis must be developed which includes fire service delivery capabilities. It is our belief that similar facilities are no more disruptive to the community that any other facility in that zoned location. Excessive noise is not an issue; these facilities are neat and clean and may be visually superior to many other industrial locations nearby. Therefore, the North Branford Board of Fire Commissioners hereby supports and will continue to support Fire Chief William Seward, III in his endeavor to provide the highest level of fire service delivery to the citizenry of this community.