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Officials Protest City Fire Contract
Firefighters Cannot Volunteer Elsewhere
August 2, 2003
By Thuy-Doan Le, Courant Staff Writer
The town managers and mayors of Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield on Friday sent a second letter asking local legislators to fight a new Hartford fire contract banning its paid firefighters from volunteering in other towns.
The letter, reiterating what was said in the first sent out a month ago, urged the senators and state representatives to "initiate action at the state level that will invalidate all similar provisions in existence and prohibit any municipality from taking action to adopt such a provision."
A new contract between the city of Hartford and the Hartford Firefighters Association forbids full-time firefighters to be on active duty and combat fires as volunteers elsewhere. The restriction would take effect June 30, 2008.
Officials in smaller towns around Hartford fear the ban will strip their volunteer fire departments of as many as 80 of their most seasoned volunteers. Several Hartford firefighters have already left unpaid volunteer departments since the new contact was signed.
Newington Town Manager Paul Fetherston said the ban is a statewide issue that affects everyone.
He said the ban was in "direct contradiction" to the legislature's efforts to encourage volunteering in the state.
The letter mentioned a couple of public acts that offer incentives for residents to volunteer in organizations such as the volunteer fire department, including one that allowed municipalities to provide tax relief to emergency volunteers and another public act that extended the benefit to non-salaried local directors of civil preparedness.
State Rep. Paul Doyle, who received the letter, said that in recent years, the legislature took measures to encourage volunteers.
Doyle said Hartford's recent action was not appropriate for the safety of nearby citizens. He said he hopes the issue can be worked out among the towns.
"I believe the city of Hartford is reviewing this provision," Doyle said. "Recently Hartford and the neighboring towns were working on a number of things and this provision is not a good step."
Rocky Hill Mayor Barbara Surwillo said this was "a very serious issue that has to be addressed."
"A person should be free to do what he or she wants to do without the jobs stepping in," she said. "It's an abridgement of freedom of choice. This country depends heavily on volunteers, and they are at the top of the list of being appreciated, because that's the way America works."
She said most city and town governments and boards are made up of volunteers.
"If we had to pay every volunteer, we couldn't do it," she said. "It'd be outrageous."
Kitch Breen Czernicki, the mayor of Wethersfield, said she would like to see Hartford rescind its decision and allow the town's firefighters to volunteer in town well beyond the year 2008.
Wethersfield's volunteer fire department is 200 years old, the oldest in New England.
She was disappointed that Hartford officials did not discuss the matter with the surrounding towns before making a decision.
*************************************************
Craig Sharman
Director of Government Relations
National Volunteer Fire Council
1050 17th Street, NW, Suite 490
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]
Firefighters Cannot Volunteer Elsewhere
August 2, 2003
By Thuy-Doan Le, Courant Staff Writer
The town managers and mayors of Newington, Rocky Hill and Wethersfield on Friday sent a second letter asking local legislators to fight a new Hartford fire contract banning its paid firefighters from volunteering in other towns.
The letter, reiterating what was said in the first sent out a month ago, urged the senators and state representatives to "initiate action at the state level that will invalidate all similar provisions in existence and prohibit any municipality from taking action to adopt such a provision."
A new contract between the city of Hartford and the Hartford Firefighters Association forbids full-time firefighters to be on active duty and combat fires as volunteers elsewhere. The restriction would take effect June 30, 2008.
Officials in smaller towns around Hartford fear the ban will strip their volunteer fire departments of as many as 80 of their most seasoned volunteers. Several Hartford firefighters have already left unpaid volunteer departments since the new contact was signed.
Newington Town Manager Paul Fetherston said the ban is a statewide issue that affects everyone.
He said the ban was in "direct contradiction" to the legislature's efforts to encourage volunteering in the state.
The letter mentioned a couple of public acts that offer incentives for residents to volunteer in organizations such as the volunteer fire department, including one that allowed municipalities to provide tax relief to emergency volunteers and another public act that extended the benefit to non-salaried local directors of civil preparedness.
State Rep. Paul Doyle, who received the letter, said that in recent years, the legislature took measures to encourage volunteers.
Doyle said Hartford's recent action was not appropriate for the safety of nearby citizens. He said he hopes the issue can be worked out among the towns.
"I believe the city of Hartford is reviewing this provision," Doyle said. "Recently Hartford and the neighboring towns were working on a number of things and this provision is not a good step."
Rocky Hill Mayor Barbara Surwillo said this was "a very serious issue that has to be addressed."
"A person should be free to do what he or she wants to do without the jobs stepping in," she said. "It's an abridgement of freedom of choice. This country depends heavily on volunteers, and they are at the top of the list of being appreciated, because that's the way America works."
She said most city and town governments and boards are made up of volunteers.
"If we had to pay every volunteer, we couldn't do it," she said. "It'd be outrageous."
Kitch Breen Czernicki, the mayor of Wethersfield, said she would like to see Hartford rescind its decision and allow the town's firefighters to volunteer in town well beyond the year 2008.
Wethersfield's volunteer fire department is 200 years old, the oldest in New England.
She was disappointed that Hartford officials did not discuss the matter with the surrounding towns before making a decision.
*************************************************
Craig Sharman
Director of Government Relations
National Volunteer Fire Council
1050 17th Street, NW, Suite 490
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]
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