The gamble a few years ago by a previous administration to enter into a city-wide contract to replace just about their entire fleet as well as any machines purchased for the 5 volunteer depts. using city funds with HME based on their initial purchase of a demo in 2002 has been nothing short of a disaster.
To say the HME's are garbage is being kind. Their 2010 rescue literally falling apart was returned to the factory to be rebuilt. The dept. repair shop has been overwhelmed with repairs, often running out of reserve machines and borrowing engines from the volunteer depts. and neighboring towns as it did last week borrowing New Canaan's reserve Mack CF.
While still figuring this mess out they even had the PD return the 1990 Mack MR Ranger rescue they had previously given them. The PD had already repainted and applied their graphics so it never made it into service and is probably going to auction at some point.
2014 and 15 they're anticipating 2 more engines, a rescue and a truck. Those 2 engines will probably be assigned to Engines 7 and 8 wanting that extra water in the north part of town.
The city career dept. (downtown) never had to really worry about water before but since the previous mayor removed the career staffing from the former combination depts, reassigning them to the career dept making the combination depts (Glenbrook, Belltown and Turn of River) essentially into volunteer depts. This was done to Springdale in the mid/late 1990's when Engine 7 was formed and assigned there.
Glenbrook co-existed with a city career engine in their house (Engine 6) until the career guys were removed in 2008 and are now a shell of their former selves and "exist" with barely and handful of members. Because they place nice (rolled over) with the former mayor they were "rewarded" with a new HME engine in 2009 replacing their perfectly good 1983 Sutphen they were better off with. That Sutphen is now a city reserve engine at the drill field.
Belltown and Turn of River have no city career presence in their firehouses although 2 city career engines (Engines 8 & 9) were organized and placed in Turn of River's district near Turn of River's two stations, only one of which remains open since they were forced to sell their 1995 Seagrave (Engine 61) to pay bills when the city was financially squeezing them and they lacked the volunteer manpower to operate both. The city career engines are houseed in tent-like structures with Engine 8 in a construction trailer at an elderly housing complex and Engine 9 at Stamford EMS.
Long Ridge is the only dept. that continues to operate as usual having been an early victim in the "civil war" that erupted in the mid 1990's when the former mayor assigned city career Engine 6 to their Station 2 after Long Ridge requested more money to hire 2 more career drivers so that station could operate 24 hours a day. Just previously the city received a consultant's report identifying Engine 6 as unnecessary so needing a "home" he conned Long Ridge's then chief to declare he had an "emergency" giving the mayor the power to take that action. That led to years of lawsuits Long Ridge ultimately won and continue as a combination dept. although the occupation of Engine 6 did result in members choosing to leave preferring to not volunteer their time in a hostile enviroment. Long Ridge Engine 74 did co-exist with Engine 6 in that station until hostilities became so bad it was close to becoming physical so the Long Ridge career driver on duty at that time chose to abandon the station and relocate to Station 1 until the lawsuit was decided and the city was forced to remove Engine 6 and had to fund the hiring of the 2 additional career drivers.
This is far from over with a recent city charter change but nobody able to agree on anything, previous court decisions handed down but yet unresolved and ongoing court cases so who knows.
KME photos courtey of Frank Docimo, Jr.
To say the HME's are garbage is being kind. Their 2010 rescue literally falling apart was returned to the factory to be rebuilt. The dept. repair shop has been overwhelmed with repairs, often running out of reserve machines and borrowing engines from the volunteer depts. and neighboring towns as it did last week borrowing New Canaan's reserve Mack CF.
While still figuring this mess out they even had the PD return the 1990 Mack MR Ranger rescue they had previously given them. The PD had already repainted and applied their graphics so it never made it into service and is probably going to auction at some point.
2014 and 15 they're anticipating 2 more engines, a rescue and a truck. Those 2 engines will probably be assigned to Engines 7 and 8 wanting that extra water in the north part of town.
The city career dept. (downtown) never had to really worry about water before but since the previous mayor removed the career staffing from the former combination depts, reassigning them to the career dept making the combination depts (Glenbrook, Belltown and Turn of River) essentially into volunteer depts. This was done to Springdale in the mid/late 1990's when Engine 7 was formed and assigned there.
Glenbrook co-existed with a city career engine in their house (Engine 6) until the career guys were removed in 2008 and are now a shell of their former selves and "exist" with barely and handful of members. Because they place nice (rolled over) with the former mayor they were "rewarded" with a new HME engine in 2009 replacing their perfectly good 1983 Sutphen they were better off with. That Sutphen is now a city reserve engine at the drill field.
Belltown and Turn of River have no city career presence in their firehouses although 2 city career engines (Engines 8 & 9) were organized and placed in Turn of River's district near Turn of River's two stations, only one of which remains open since they were forced to sell their 1995 Seagrave (Engine 61) to pay bills when the city was financially squeezing them and they lacked the volunteer manpower to operate both. The city career engines are houseed in tent-like structures with Engine 8 in a construction trailer at an elderly housing complex and Engine 9 at Stamford EMS.
Long Ridge is the only dept. that continues to operate as usual having been an early victim in the "civil war" that erupted in the mid 1990's when the former mayor assigned city career Engine 6 to their Station 2 after Long Ridge requested more money to hire 2 more career drivers so that station could operate 24 hours a day. Just previously the city received a consultant's report identifying Engine 6 as unnecessary so needing a "home" he conned Long Ridge's then chief to declare he had an "emergency" giving the mayor the power to take that action. That led to years of lawsuits Long Ridge ultimately won and continue as a combination dept. although the occupation of Engine 6 did result in members choosing to leave preferring to not volunteer their time in a hostile enviroment. Long Ridge Engine 74 did co-exist with Engine 6 in that station until hostilities became so bad it was close to becoming physical so the Long Ridge career driver on duty at that time chose to abandon the station and relocate to Station 1 until the lawsuit was decided and the city was forced to remove Engine 6 and had to fund the hiring of the 2 additional career drivers.
This is far from over with a recent city charter change but nobody able to agree on anything, previous court decisions handed down but yet unresolved and ongoing court cases so who knows.
KME photos courtey of Frank Docimo, Jr.
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