VIDEO: The end of an era. The city of Meriden is shutting the doors on its volunteer fire unit after more than a century of work. The cityโs mayor said the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department will be deactivated at the end of this year.
โThose guys have been great. They were always helpful, friendly, kind,โ Elisa Massaro, of Meriden, said. She has nothing but praise for the men and women of the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department. She said they helped save her home more than a decade ago. โThey helped put that fire out. They were inside this house while it was burning,โ Massaro said. Itโs these stories that motivate volunteer firefighters like Lieutenant June Napolitano to continue serving the community. โThe different lives weโve had the privilege to touch, and help will stay in our memories,โ she said. Memories that will be all thatโs left with the department disbanding at the end of the year.
Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati said this move was due to factors, including budget restraints and a severe decline in volunteerism across the state. โThis is the time to reflect on all the great work,โ he said. A survey from the state comptrollerโs office shows volunteer firefighter ranks have gone down about 63% since 2017. South Meriden went from 35 to 40 volunteers in the 1990s, to just four this year.
Meriden Fire Chief Cristina Schoeck said this move will have no impact on response times for calls in the South Meriden area as thereโs already a career firefighter crew at station 6. โWe already have somebody rolling out of Camp Street 24/7 and the response time weโve had for the last couple years, thatโs what weโll continue to have,โ Schoeck said.
Napolitano said sheโll be looking to serve in another volunteer fire department, but is thankful for her time in Meriden. โThank you for giving us the honor and privilege to help serve you and care for you guys,โ she said.
Massaro said she hopes the volunteers will be able to continue serving Meriden in other capacities. โTheyโve been fantastic and good luck to them, and I hope theyโre going to continue,โ she said. The Meriden Fire Department said theyโll be creating a new community emergency response team, staffed with volunteers to help support police and fire in the city.
