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STAMFORD, Conn. Stamfords city representatives are not as eager to pass and approve the mayors fire plan as he is after Thursdays Public Safety and Health Committee meeting. The representatives pelted Michael Pavia and others repeatedly, asking for clarifications of it.
I dont want to visit this again in another two, three or five years, city Rep. John Mallozzi said. He said he against the plan as he currently understands it, and he was willing to wait until he does before deciding.
Under Pavias fire plan, the city would have two fire departments to cover the city: Stamford Fire and Rescue would be responsible for downtown Stamford and the Stamford Volunteer Fire Department would cover the rest. Each volunteer house would have two or three paid firefighters on duty at all times to work with volunteers.
The plan also includes an agreement among Springdale, Turn of River, Belltown and Long Ridge volunteer departments to become one. New Hope (Glenbrook) Fire Department has decided to keep its current status splitting the house with Stamford Fire & Rescue.
Questions arose about several different areas of the plan, but most were about the $8.67 million budget the volunteer department would require from the city. Rep. Gabe DeLuca questioned how the new department would spend $8.67 million a year, when they cost the city about $2 million a year in the past. The explanation: There would be additional salaries and line-by-line breakdowns will be provided to the board by the city.
Brendan Keatley, president of Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association and longtime opponent of the mayors plan, compared the $8.67 million budget and the plan itself to a game of Three Card Monte. There is no clarity in the plan, the union head said.
The mayor closed the meeting by admitting that his plan may not be perfect, but he said he believed it was the best for now and he did not want to wait.
Staying flat-footed, where we are now, is unacceptable, Pavia said, pushing for urgency in improving fire safety in Stamford.
Contact reporter Anthony Buzzeo by email, TBuzzeo@TheDailyStamford.com.
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