June 7, 2011

DANBURY FIRE SCHOOL BILL PASSES HOUSE
Regional Fire Training Facility Will Save Towns Money

State Representatives Bob Godfrey (D-110th), Joe Taborsak (D-109th) and Janice Giegler (R-138th) of Danbury hailed passage of a bill that would expand training opportunities for emergency service personnel.

The bill, that the three legislators all co-sponsored, HB 5489, An Act Concerning an Additional State Fire School, garnered bipartisan support and passed the House unanimously. It is now on its way to the State Senate for their consideration.

“Very few departments can fully meet all possible needs with today’s limited budgets. Currently, there are no regional fire schools in western Connecticut,” said Rep. Godfrey. “Having a regional school where the many required programs can be presented locally saves in travel and costs and will save time, as the closest school is an hour away from Danbury.”

Fire schools provide training opportunities for several municipalities. They have long practiced what is today called regionalization, cooperating on common services that save town’s money. Since 9/11, the need for a regional response to emergencies is clear. In addition, Fire Service training and certification requirements come from various agencies such as the FAA and OSHA as well as local, state and federal mandates.

“Changing Danbury’s Fire Training Facility designation to a Regional Fire School will meet the training needs of many area towns and provide communities with the highly trained fire protection personnel they deserve,” said Rep. Taborsak.

“Having a consistent, uniform training curriculum will benefit all area towns during mutual aid responses during an emergency,” said Rep. Giegler. “I am pleased that Danbury will be the host city for a top-notch training facility that will directly benefit so many towns in our area.”