Four Valley lawmakers announced Thursday they oppose a proposal by Gov. Dannel Malloy to cut funding to train volunteer firefighters.
State Rep. Theresa Conroy, state Sen. Joseph Crisco, state Rep. Linda Gentile, and state Rep. Themis Klarides issued a statement saying the programs are too important for the chopping block.
“We cannot afford to compromise our public safety,” Klarides said in the statement.
All fire departments in the lower Valley are volunteer. Training classes are offered at the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School, though it is not the only training program available.
The school offers classes on everything from “firefighter 1” certification to operating a pumper truck.
The budget Gov. Dannel Malloy unveiled in February looks to cut funding to the Valley training school by $35,283.
There are nine fire training schools in the state. Malloy wants to cut funding to those schools by a total of $743,899.
Volunteer firefighters said that without state subsidies, the cost of basic firefighter classes would skyrocket from roughly $750 to upward of $2,000.
Presumably, those training costs would either be passed to individual volunteer firefighters or to the municipalities they serve, local fire officials said.
“I guess the governor’s opinion is that the state shouldn’t be paying for the education of firefighters. It should be the towns and cities,” Derby Fire Marshal Phil Hawks said during an Aldermen’s meeting Thursday.
Firefighters spoke out against the governor’s plan during a state legislative committee meeting in Hartford last week. Click here for a story published on WFSB.
In an email to the Valley Indy, Malloy spokesman David Bednarz said the proposed state budget is filled with tough choices.
“We’re making significant progress in improving the economy, with nearly 26,000 private sector jobs were created last year, which is the best growth since 1998,” he said. “And we continue to make extraordinary strides in public safety. Ultimately, we have to continue making the tough but smart choices today to put Connecticut on a strong path for tomorrow.”
James Vincent is the training director of the Valley Fire Chiefs Regional Training School.
He said the governor’s budget puts question marks over the future of the program, which has a presence in the Valley going back generations.
“We got notice last Wednesday that the governor had pulled the plug on our operating budget,” Vincent said.
The school used to be on O’Sullivan’s Island in Derby, under the Route 8 bridge above the spot where the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers meet.
Environmental concerns closed the school in about 1999.
Now the school is mobile, relying on fire departments throughout the area to host instructors. This year’s “firefighter I” class is being taught at the White Hills Fire Co. in Shelton.
The school has a small office in the Seymour Community Center.
“The instructors put on quality classes, and they do it out of a suitcase,” Vincent said. “They haven’t had a home since 1999. We basically go from firehouse to firehouse.”
The school has been trying to find a permanent location for years. In 2010, the state purchased land in Beacon Falls for the school.
The project has been in the planning stages ever since, and is ready to go out to bid. But now that project could be up in the air, Vincent said.
“If they are pulling our operating budget, I would be willing to bet that’s the next to go,” Vincent said.
According to the statement issued from the four lawmakers from the Valley, the funding provided to the schools in the state budget covers the operational costs of the regional fire schools. Instructors’ payroll, utility costs and facilities’ maintenance is covered by the state grant.
“Connecticut should be investing in firefighter training, not cutting it,” Conroy, who represents Derby and Seymour, said. “Emergency responders put themselves in the line of danger; we should stand by them.”
The following testimony was given by the Valley delegation to the state appropriations committee on Feb. 24:
We are writing to members of the Joint Appropriations Committee regarding the proposed cuts contained in Gov. Malloy’s 2015 – 17 biennial budget to the state’s nine Fire Training Schools. Collectively, we represent the Naugatuck Valley towns and cities of Ansonia, Beacon Falls Seymour and Derby. The cuts for the nine training facilities amount to $743,899.
The proposed cut to the Derby training school is $35,283. On the surface, this specific loss of revenue may not seem like a huge cut in the overall spectrum of the state’s two-year, $40 billion budget. However, the effect of eliminating all state aid for our training sites represents a huge blow to Connecticut’s public safety.
Each year hundreds of firefighters and front line responders receive vital training at the schools and that has proved critical to maintaining and bolstering our emergency response efforts. These training regimens are not duplicated anywhere else in Connecticut. Our individual firefighting units rely heavily upon the facilities to upgrade the skills and certifications of their members.
We believe that the state should be putting more resources into the system, not less, and stand prepared to craft alternatives to the current budget proposal that would be acceptable compromises. Given the current fiscal status of our towns and cities and the uncertain outcomes of our local budget processes, we are concerned that there will not be sufficient municipal revenues to offset the loss of state funds.
Our local emergency responders sacrifice greatly to keep our communities safe; we should honor that commitment.
We urge you as members of the committee to consider an alternative path forward as the budget process unfolds in the coming weeks and months.
State Rep. Themis Klarides 114th District
State Sen. Joseph Crisco 17th District
State. Rep. Linda Gentile 104th District
State Re. Theresa Conroy 105th District
