Opportunity is knocking for the Torrington Fire Department to expand into a growing corner of the city that some say lacks proper protection.
After the closure of a volunteer fire house earlier this year. The building and gear have been donated to the cityโs professional fire department.
About six months ago the doors of the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department closed for good. This strategically located building is vital in keeping people on the cityโs east side safe.
Right now, fire officials say it takes far too long to get across the city in an emergency. โMuch more so than we believe to be acceptable,โ said Torrington Career Firefighters Union President Tim OโDonnell. โIn the neighborhood, anywhere from eight to 12 minutes. Which is a very long time if youโre waiting for emergency services. Whether itโs experiencing a medical emergency or a fire.โ
Residents in the Torringford neighborhood know this. Full time firefighters in the former volunteer station could simply respond quicker.
โTime is critical,โ noted Paul Heim of Torrington. โWe need something up here because this area has developed quite a bit.โ
The move is not going to happen overnight. The building needs to be retrofitted as a professional fire house with living quarters and larger storage for gear and trucks.
The biggest challenge will be staffing it. The Torrington Fire Department currently has two firehouses and a minimum of 11 firefighters on hand at any given time.
โEven apart from this situation, the union has been advocating for additional staffing,โ explained OโDonnell. โSo, we believe thatโs the approach that weโre going to need to take in order to make this feasible, make this safe for our membership, make this safe for the department, make this safe for the residents.โ
Eyewitness News spoke with Fire Chief David Tripp on the phone on Monday and he said thereโs some uncertainty right now with trying to come up with a financial plan to make it all happen.
Heโs waiting to find out who will win next weekโs mayoral election, Democrat Stephen Ivain or Republican Molly Spino.
โIโve met with both of the candidates, talked about east side fire protection with both candidates and theyโre both supportive,โ said Fire Chief Tripp. โBut they know itโs going to be a big lift from the city to make this happen. Itโs somethingโs thatโs been needed for many, many years.โ
The chief tentatively has a three year plan to put a professional firefighting crew inside this facility. โItโs a step that weโve been working on for a long time. Itโs a step towards making people safer,โ added OโDonnell.
