Danielson residents approved $64,000 for new firefighter gear after the department halted operations for nine days and later resumed with limited staffing over PPE safety concerns

By Sara Bedigian
The Day

DANIELSON, Conn. — The Danielson Fire Department will receive 15 sets of new gear — as well as four trainee rental suits — after residents voted Wednesday night to allocate $64,000 of the borough’s funds for the firefighting equipment.

Chief Keven McNeill said after the vote that the allotment was a step in the right direction, toward bringing the department back to full operation and ensuring the safety of his firefighters.

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“I think the taxpayers spoke tonight. ... By voting it in, they say that they care about their firefighters, and that just all reinforces our commitment to the community,” McNeill said.

Wednesday’s vote wrapped up a month of tension between the department and the Borough Council. McNeill stopped all operations with a “safety stand down” for nine days starting on Aug. 26 after council members did not discuss his proposal for new gear at a borough Fire Commission meeting.

The department resumed limited operations on Sept. 3 after the council voted to allocate funds and scheduled Wednesday’s vote.

The department has been operating at a limited capacity for weeks, allowing only firefighters with in-date service gear, or gear that has not expired, to respond to calls.

He said that once the new gear arrives — likely before Thanksgiving — the department will resume normal operations.

McNeill has repeatedly argued the department’s current gear is outdated, is not durable and does not fit current members properly. He said the department has 19 interior firefighters — those qualified to fight a fire from inside a structure — and only 12 sets of in-date equipment, with four of those damaged.

McNeill initially requested 30 sets of new gear and said he will continue working in the next few years to get more funded. Since fire gear has a 10-year expiration date, he said he plans to stagger his requests, so that the gear does not expire all at once.

“I think it’s very important to protect the members of this fire department in order for them to protect our community, and they need the gear to do so,” resident Christina Ornerod said Wednesday.

Now that the deparment has secured new gear, McNeill said, he plans to continue his efforts to expand the department, which is currently staffed by more than 30 volunteers.

The department was given $25,000 for gear by the council in July. McNeill said these funds are being spent on new fire hoods, helmets and gloves, which are different from fire suits.

The department has also been working with the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health to ensure compliance.

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