State Fire Training Schools May Receive Funding
State Fire Training Schools May Receive Funding
Shannon Young
Associated Press
HARTFORD â Five of the stateâs ten regional fire training schools would share $26.2 million in state funding to rebuild their crumbling buildings, under a revised budget proposed by Governor Dannel P. Malloy.
The governorâs proposal would benefit the Eastern Connecticut, Fairfield, Valley, Burrville and Wolcott regional fire training schools. Representative Joseph Aresimowicz, D-Berlin, said Tuesday the proposed funding would be combined with money from previous years, allowing each school to receive at least $7 million.
Aresimowicz announced the proposal at a news conference. He was joined by regional fire school directors.
Regional fire training schools offer programs that firefighters are required to take for accreditation. The schools follow regulations set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The regulations require that firefighters be versed in subject areas including safety and protective equipment, the chemistry of fire, fire behavior and ventilation. Malloyâs proposal would also allow the schools to modernize training practices and increase safety for Connecticut firefighters.
Al Hawkins, director of the Eastern Connecticut school in Willimantic, said the funding would be divided up based on the recommendations of a survey conducted by an architecture firm for the General Assembly in 2001.