Fire Services Review Special Committee - Minutes - 03/06/2025

FE TES ROPE FRAT ROAD
WATERFORD, CT 06388. 2808
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Fire Services Review Special Committee Minutes—Special Meeting March 6, 2025
Members Present: Robert Tuneski (BoF); Susan Driscoll (RTM); Richard Muckle (BoS); Matthew Keatley (RTM);
Tim Condon (RTM Public Protection & Safety Committee); Mike Howley (Interim Director, Fire Services);
Steven Sinagra (Director, Emergency Management); Todd Patton (Chief, Goshen Fire Co.)
Members Absent: Tom Martin (Captain, WFS); Mark Greczkowski (WAS Director of Operations)
1. Call to order: Chair Tuneski called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
2. Public comment: In-person, none. Online submission from Bryan Sayles (attached)
3. Previous Minutes: Motion by Driscoll, second by Condon, to table consideration of June 25, 2024, minutes until the
next meeting. Voice vote: Unanimous
4. Consideration of FSRSC’s charge from the RTM (6/7/21):
a. Remaining/additional information needed: Members reviewed list on agenda and Deliverables list last updated Jan. 2023.
All previously submitted data/plans will be updated (the bulk of it by Howley, with some assistance from the Planning
Director). Two requests from the last meeting are in progress: Sinagra and Martin will work on response time data that
includes responding station and district of incident; Howley will expand volunteer incentive report to show qualifying
hours, types of incidents, and certification status of each volunteer (but not by name).
b. Discuss report format/content: Chair presented his draft outline, explained Bottom Line Up Front acronym, and asked for
input on the focus, order, whether any items needed to be added or amended. Condon used a North Star analogy to
explain that the outline would be our map as we pull together the report, starting with where we are now, then find our
best and acceptable aims for immediate and farther future, and move on to showing how to get there. Discussion of
specific items followed, with members requesting that we add structural issues to facility descriptions, present the Grand
List to underscore value of Fire Services to preserve what we have; note trends in response types/frequencies; include
statutes and agreements with volunteer companies and WAS in Item 6; add volunteer tax abatements and
recruitment/retention of career firefighters in Item 7(c); add Action Items, Timeline, Dollars to Item 7(i).
Motion by Condon, second by Keatley, to approve the outline as amended. Voice vote: Unanimous.
Chair predicted that after a couple of more meetings, he should have the starter draft of the report ready. Condon
suggested that with a variety of updated data coming through, and the possibility of new info triggering a new area or
question, the preliminary focus should be on the background info first so we can get consensus on that content and before
moving forward.
Motion by Keatley, second by Condon, to have Chair present draft reports in phases, with the first to go no further
than Item 4 of the outline. Voice vote: Unanimous.
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FSRSC Mar. 6, 2025 Minutes Page 2
S. Consider retaining outside expertise: Chair noted that FSRSC was not given funds to hire an outside consultant to write the
report/recommendation. But the members can apply critical thinking as we review and consolidate the information and data
being provided by our in-house expert members and put together the “final” report. He asked members for their thoughts
on potentially asking a outside expert to review the report—not to edit it, but to suggest issues or points missed, or that
need clarification or additional backup to add a level of credibility. Condon noted that we’ve had an outside consultants
write reports in the past, but they all tend to get ignored or forgotten as elected/appointed personnel change. So he and
Driscoll designed the FSRSC specifically to include all the parties involved at the table so they cauld work together to
determine what we have, what we need, what we need to improve. The result, he said would get the needed community lift
and weigh-in so that the final report would be easy to point to in the future as a reference and guideline. He added that he
can reach out to some regional experts who have done similar reviews for other towns and gauge their interest.
Motion by Muckle, second by Condon, to seek outside authority to review report. Yes-4 Abstain-1 (Driscoll)
6, Next meeting: Motion by Keatley, second by Condon, to schedule next meeting for March 27 at 6:00 p.m. Voice vote:
Unanimous. Consensus to meet at Jordan station, and schedule future meetings at the other stations.
7, Adjournment: Motion by Condon; second by Keatley to adjourn at 6:54 p.m. Voice vote: Unanimous.
Submitted by
Susan Driscoll, FSRSC Secretary
encl: Sayles public comment
Tuneski draft outline

March 6, 2025
Fire Services Review Special Committee
15 Rope Ferry Road
Waterford, CT 06385
Dear Committee Members,
After reading years of meeting minutes from various Boards and Committees plus, pouring
over the pages of the FY2026 Fire Services Budget Proposal, there seems to be no
agreement about the actual number of full-time and volunteer firefighters serving
Waterford. As a faithful taxpayer and resident of District #2, Quaker Hill, isn’t it reasonable
for me to expect to find an exact accounting of who those full-time and volunteer
firefighters are?
Furthermore, when visiting the town website not only was it difficult to navigate but when |
finally found the Fire Services directory it appeared to be incomplete.
It’s time to end the ambiguity surrounding the issue of staffing therefore, | strongly suggest
that the town produce a Fire Services Organizational Chart. The benefits of doing so are as
follows:
1. To clearly list the human resources assigned that effectively detiver comprehensive
fire services throughout the town of Waterford.
2. To understand who is in charge, who the administrators are, the names of the
firefighters and their qualifications/certifications.
The proposed organizational chart is not a schedule, nor does it assign resources to a
specific district. lt should only list names and titles including qualifications/certifications
and be publicty posted on the town’s Fire Services page. (Directory?)
Finally, it should be relatively easy to periodically update an organizational chart following a
new hire’s probationary schedule. At the very least it can be one document, in one place,
which provides an exact accounting of Fire Services staff. Something that | have found hard
to do.
Bryan Sayles
Wintergreen Drive
uaker Hitl, CT 06375

VY6/25
Report Outline
1, Executive Summary / BLUF
2. Introduction
a.
b.
Cc.
d.
e.
f.
3. History
a.
aon
e.
Charge
Committee Composition
Source Materia!
i. Previous reports
Review Process
Committee Timeline
Initial report
Fire Services Evolution
i, Pre-Fire Commission
ii. Fire Commission
iii. Fire Services Director
Volunteers
Hybrid
Current Configuration
Locations and Facility Descriptions
4, Demographic Data
a. Population and Trends
b. New Construction
c. Development Areas
d. Grand List
5. Findings
a. Response Types and Frequencies
b. Capital Plan
c. Staffing
d. Fleet Plan
e. Communications
6, Legal Requirements
7. Strategic Plan / Recommendations
a.
b.
General Observations
i. Mutual Aide Considerations
ii, Future Considerations
Number of Fire Stations
i, Justification
Droft outline/Tuneski

ii. Roles and Responsibilities
iii, Chain of command
Staffing
i. Volunteer officers, volunteer fire fighters, volunteer fire police, part
time fire fighters, marine division, full time fire fighters
ii. Retention of volunteers, stipend
ili, Mandatory training
iv. Additional training
d. Infrastructure / Capital Plan
Fleet Plan
Communications
i. Radio
. Policies and Procedures
Inter Organizational Relationships