Nine years ago, then-newly appointed Fire Chief Charles Steinhart V walked into the North Stonington Ambulance Association and volunteered his time, an effort to break down barriers and create unity between the two organizations.
Although the path to get there has been long and at times trying, Steinhart’s vision of unified emergency services operation will become a reality on June 12 when he and North Stonington Ambulance Association President Ryan Burdick lead their respective services into the new North Stonington Center for Emergency Services. “To go from ten years ago, when it was a no-no to work across departments to this, we’ve come a long way,” said Steinhart during a walk-through of the new facility this week. “Now, when you look at something like this, we are one team. It doesn’t matter the name on the door of the vehicle, we are all working together for the same goal.”