Seymour Fire Marshals Ask For Help

The town’s Fire Marshal’s office is asking the town for $14,976 to hire part-time help.

Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz and Deputy Marshal Timm Willis made a pitch to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday, saying they hoped to hire part-time help for 16 hours a week at $18 an hour.

The marshals need help with building inspections. They make sure buildings — everything from churches to apartment buildings to schools to grocery stores — are safe and up to fire code. Wetowitz said his office is having trouble keeping up.

It is a lot of work, Willis said, and often it requires certified letters and knocking on doors to get in. An inspection takes 15 minutes to 30 minutes. The related paperwork takes about an hour.

The fire marshals will repeat their plea at a meeting of the Board of Finance, as this year’s budget is formulated.

The Selectmen tabled action on the item until the Finance Board has a chance to hear the request.

Wetowitz was prepared to offer a compromise at less than $10,000 — for $16 an hour and 12 hours per week — but he did not want to cut the pay too low or hours too short because it has to be worth someone’s while.

First Selectman Paul Roy complimented the pair on their presentation, which included a brief video about how fire can grow from a small flame to an inferno in only two minutes.

“This is something we’ll take under consideration,” Roy said.