Bill Bittar Photo
Ken Mitchell Jr., president of the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School, speaks from the podium.
BEACON FALLS — Firefighters held a press conference Thursday to pressure Gov. Ned Lamont to follow through on his campaign promise to get the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School project going again.
State and local politicians from both major political parties joined members of the training school and firefighters from nine member and several guest towns at 20 – 32 Lancaster Drive — the site the new facility would be built upon.
“I know that several municipalities have sent resolutions to Gov. Lamont,” said Ken Mitchell Jr., president of the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School. “Is Gov. Lamont here today? I know he was invited. I guess he had no comment.”
But he added, “we’re not here for a political tug of war. That’s not us. We’re here for safety — life safety. Our mission is to provide the best training possible for firefighters, whether they’re on an entry level or they are experienced firefighters taking additional courses to expand their knowledge.”
The money for a new training facility was allocated, according to statements from various officials this week, but has never made it to the state bonding commission to officially move forward.
The governor sets the bonding commission’s agenda.
Mitchell gave a timeline of the project, recalling how the Valley fire school lost its facility on O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby 21 years ago.
In 2002 the Connecticut General Assembly did an independent study and recommended the eight existing regional fire schools either be renovated or replaced by new facilities.
The Connecticut State Firefighters Association decided the order projects would be done and since then, Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield and Burville in Torrington have been done, according to Mitchell, and the Eastern Connecticut Fire School in Willimantic is nearing completion.
Gov. Jodi Rell led the state’s $950,000 purchase of the land on Lancaster Drive in Beacon Falls for the Valley Regional Fire Training School in 2010. Then Gov. Dannel Malloy had the state spend $160,000 for testing and remediation to make sure the property was shovel ready.
Bismark Construction of Milford successfully bid for the contract and it was renewed one year to 2018, but that bid expired. It was rebid to Bismark, but if the bonding is not approved in time, that will expire in April of 2020.
If that happens, Mitchell said it will cost the state more money in the long run.
“It’s been a tremendous burden on us,” he said, “and most especially on my instructors. And I can’t thank them enough for their tolerance and patience.”
Mitchell said instructors have to travel to member towns and beyond for places to teach, trucking around Rubbermaid tubs, computers and projectors.
He said there is wear and tear on their fire apparatus and wear and tear on the other fire schools they use, which will have to be renovated earlier than planned as a result.
Firefighters from all nine member towns attended the press conference, including Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Shelton, Orange, Seymour, Oxford, Bethany and Woodbridge.
Firefighters from other towns also lent their support, including representatives of Wolcott Fire School, South District Middletown, and firefighters from Watertown, Terryville, Cheshire, Middlebury and Fairfield.
Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St. John, a former Middlebury fire chief, took a turn at the podium. “This project is shovel ready, so is the Wolcott project,” he said, raising his voice. “Enough is enough. I’ve been through four governors with four promises and the school isn’t built. What’s the next excuse?”
The crowd cheered.
During Tuesday’s Aldermen meeting in Ansonia, state Rep. Kara Rochelle (D‑Ansonia) said there is a bi-partisan effort underway to convince the governor to put the item on a bonding commission agenda.
Rochelle said 33 legislators have signed a letter in support of the firefighter training school. The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments passed a resolution in support — 19 towns are in the organization.
On Thursday, Rochelle, whose father Allen is a firefighter in Seymour, said, “I’m here because a promise needs to be kept for our firefighters and public safety needs to be maintained in a professional manner. There’s nothing closer to my heart than taking care of the people who take care of the community. You want to support the people who are so
selfless.”
House Republican Leader Themis Klarides (R‑Derby) also attended Thursday’s press conference. “The governor gave his word and we’re just asking him to keep it,” she said.
Sen. George Logan (R‑Ansonia) said, “this is 20-plus years in the making and our community has clearly come together for this fire training school. We’re doing our best to make our case to the governor and his administration, and trying to do it as politely as possible. This is a safety issue for our community.”
Logan, Klarides and Republican State Representatives Nicole Klarides-Ditria, Ben McGorty, Jason Perillo, David Labriola, Rosa Rebimbas, and Republican State Senators Kevin Kelly and Eric Berthel issued a joint statement supporting local boards such as Ansonia, Seymour and Beacon Falls that have passed training-school related resolutions.
Ansonia Mayor David S. Casetti and Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan showed up to express their support, as well as their political challengers Phil Tripp and Brian Coppolo, who is a volunteer firefighter in Derby and career firefighter in Bridgeport.
