City of Norwich disputes claims from Taftville Fire Co. being put out of service
The City of Norwich is disputing claims from the Taftville Fire Company who said in a Facebook post that it was being put out of service after 109 years in the community.
The Taftville Fire Company claims it was served an eviction notice on Friday morning.
In an email Saturday, the City of Norwich said it was issuing a “factual correction to recent inaccurate claims made by The Taftville Volunteer Fire Department.”
“Ahead of the Taftville Department being served a court order on Friday, Norwich city officials communicated to Taftville leadership that volunteers and their equipment were free to remain at the station house and operate cooperatively alongside career personnel. This offer was made in an email from City Manager John Salomone to Taftville Chief Tim Jencks, and is included below. The City did not receive a response to its outreach.”
“The City has consistently maintained its desire for a cooperative, shared workspace at the facility to guarantee uninterrupted public safety, and it is important that the public, the media, and Norwich elected officials understand that we have consistently worked to find a cooperative path forward with our volunteers. The City remains fully prepared to work collaboratively with any fire company willing to meet these baseline safety benchmarks,” Salomone said.
On Friday, The Taftville Fire Company posted on social media about being served an eviction notice.
“Chief Tim Jencks was served an eviction notice around 10am by state marshals,” the post read. “All property owned by the Taftville Fire Company #2 has been removed and all that remains is city owned equipment.”
That announcement came two days after the City of Norwich filed an application for a temporary injunction in Connecticut Superior Court, seeking immediate access to the city-owned Taftville fire station and emergency apparatus.
Norwich city officials cited what they described as repeated response failures, staffing shortages, and safety concerns at the volunteer fire company, including missed emergency calls and incidents in which the station was unable to respond due to a lack of personnel.
“This legal intervention is a necessary safety measure to ensure that Norwich residents are receiving all necessary and appropriate levels of public safety response,” Norwich officials wrote in the release on Wednesday.
Firefighters said that Norwich Engine-3 is parked outside the station and is providing service as Taftville has complied with the eviction notice.
Salomone said the move to file a temporary injunction followed months of negotiations and mediation with the volunteer company, while Norwich Fire Chief Samuel Wilson said the action was intended to maintain reliable emergency response and retrieve city-owned equipment.
“On behalf of the officers and members of the company we are so grateful for all of the support we have received, not only over the years but the past few months,” Taftville firefighters wrote in the Facebook post. “It has not gone unnoticed!”
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