Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Fairfield-Hills-fire-pact

Full Text:

Talks Work Toward A New Fire Protection Pact For Fairfield Hills

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Talks are underway for a new agreement under which town firefighters would

provide fire protection for the state-owned Fairfield Hills campus, according

to First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal.

Mr Rosenthal met April 15 with representatives of Tunxis Management Company to

discuss a fire protection agreement. The company manages the Fairfield Hills

property for the state.

Last week, Mr Rosenthal informed the state that the town will not provide

either primary or secondary fire protection for Fairfield Hills because the

state has failed to ratify a fire protection agreement that the town endorsed

earlier this year.

In February, the town signed a pact calling for town volunteer firefighters to

assume full responsibility for responding to fire calls at Fairfield Hills,

the vacant former state mental institution, which closed in 1995.

Under that now-defunct agreement, firefighters from the Newtown Hook and

Ladder Volunteer Fire Company would have been the first to respond to fire

calls at the 600-acre state-owned property in the geographic center of town.

Additional local fire companies would be called to emergencies, as needed.

Although the state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and state Department

of Public Works (DPW) endorsed that fire protection agreement, the state

Department of Correction (DOC) failed to do so, nullifying the agreement.

DOC balked at a provision under which each local fire company would receive

$500 for each fire call to which it responds.

Of the April 15 talks, Mr Rosenthal said "It was a productive meeting. I think

we'll have a good result."

Mr Rosenthal said a new fire protection agreement would not include DOC. DOC

operates Garner Correctional Institution which is adjacent to Fairfield Hills.

The town already has a fire protection agreement with DOC concerning town

responses to fire calls at Garner.

Mr Rosenthal said he expects to meet with Tunxis representatives again next

week to further discuss a fire protection pact.

Mr Rosenthal has said that in the event of a fire emergency at Fairfield

Hills, he has no doubt that local firefighters "would do the right thing."

Since the Fairfield Hills Fire Department went out of business in May 1997,

Tunxis workers have been on call for fire protection there.

Town fire officials have said the state has been fortunate there have been no

major fire emergencies at Fairfield Hills during recent months when there has

been little fire protection stationed on the grounds.