Norwich neighbors protest in support of Yantic Volunteer Fire Company

Neighbors in Norwich protested in support of the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department, which was suspended by the city two weeks ago.

In below-freezing temperatures, Norwich neighbors held signs on a sidewalk on West Main Street, garnering support from passersby.

“We’re here because we just have a serious problem with the lack of safety and transparency and accountability with our city right now,” Robin Sieczkowski of Norwich said. “They are closing down our volunteer departments because they won’t sign a contract.”

They’re against the city’s fire chief and city manager’s efforts to combine the city’s fire department with the five volunteer fire companies.

“These men and women in the fire department give their lives in a sense,” Ray Introvigne with the Diocese of Norwich said. “Think of the sacrifices they made.”

The protest occurred the night before the possible closure of another volunteer company.

The Taftville Volunteer Fire Department has to decide by Wednesday whether to join the city’s fire service or be suspended, like the Yantic volunteer company.

East Great Plain is the first and only volunteer company to join the city. Yantic, Taftville, Occum, and Laurel Hill have held out and filed a lawsuit against the city. They claim the city overstepped its authority. They also said the city charter differentiates volunteer companies from the city’s paid career firefighters, establishing their independence.

“Just because we’re volunteers doesn’t mean we’re not highly trained, highly skilled, and highly professional,” Laurel Hill Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Issac Elton said. “It’s one of those things that we have sacrificed, a good portion of our lives, to be able to run into help someone else.”

We appreciate the continued support from residents of Norwich and the surrounding communities,” said Yantic Fire Chief Bob Allen. “We remain committed to serving the City’s residents as we work toward solutions that prioritize transparency, fiscal responsibility, and public safety while respecting the City Charter, the taxpayers, and the long tradition of volunteer service in our community.”

The Yantic Volunteer Fire Company shared a copy of the agreement the city wanted them to sign, which says “The Fire Chief retains authority to restrict, suspend or remove company members from emergency response for safety violations, insubordination, failure to maintain required training or certifications, conduct detrimental to emergency operations or failure to comply with Unified Command directives.”

The agreement also requires the company to cover liability insurance and workers’ compensation, holding the city harmless from claims.

In a statement, Norwich Fire Chief Samuel Wilson said: “The Norwich Fire Department has an obligation to ensure safe, reliable, and consistent fire and EMS coverage across our city. Emergency response standards exist to protect our residents and our firefighters from unnecessary risk, and when a fire company fails to meet these basic baseline training and safety benchmarks, it is incumbent upon the Department to take action. We have and will continue to work collaboratively with any fire company that is out of compliance in order to resolve their safety issues and restore service to the standard that our citizens expect and deserve.”

Norwich’s mayor sent a comment that said: “I respect the traditions of City and Volunteer fire departments and my vision for stronger fire services always included volunteers in it, and I am glad that East Great Plain is onboard.”

He added that he hopes the volunteer fire chiefs, the fire chief, and the city manager can find a solution-based approach.

What’s happening in Norwich isn’t unique. In 2013, in Stamford, volunteer fire companies sued the city after it tried to consolidate all fire companies into one department, under one chief. A year later, an agreement was reached, and the volunteer companies stayed independent.