Fire Services Review Special Committee - Minutes - 03/27/2025

PRY OAT
VG RRS RN
Fire Services Review Special Committee Minutes—Special Meeting March 27, 2025
Members Present: Robert Tuneski (BoF); Susan Driscoll (RTM); Richard Muckle (BoS); Matthew Keatley (RTM);
Tim Condon (Public Protection & Safety Comm.); Mike Howley (Interim Director, Fire Services); Tom Martin (Captain, WFD)
Members Absent: Steven Sinagra (Director, Emergency Management); Todd Patton (Chief, Goshen Fire Co.);
Mark Greczkowski (WAS Director of Operations)
Also Present: Town Attorney Nick Kepple
1. Call to order: Chair Tuneski called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
2. Public comment: Erik Pawlak (Captain, WFD) noted that he began his service as a teen-age volunteer firefighter before the
WFD was combined in 2011 and offered to discuss the change in relations between career and volunteer firefighters at a
future meeting. He pointed out several factual errors in the draft report that had been sent the night before. (attached)
3. Previous Minutes: Motion by Keatley, second by Condon, to approve the June 25, 2024, minutes as presented.
Voice Vote: Yes-4 No-0 Abstain-1 (Condon).
Motion by Keatley, second by Condon, to approve the March 6, 2025, minutes as presented. Voice vote: Unanimous.
4. Consideration of FSRSC’s charge from the RTM (6/7/21):
a. Review of provided information: None provided. Howley expects to finalize and submit for next meeting.
b. Initial feedback on first draft of report: Chair noted that this is first rough draft (attached) and was looking for comments
on content and quantity of information. Condon and Driscoll confirmed Pawlak’s error citations and provided
corrections. Tuneski said he would contact former members of the defunct Board of Fire Commissioners for info on
when the Board was established and when the Town started financing fire house capital projects. Condon offered his
perspective as one of the co-creators of the FSRSC and its written charge. The effort was triggered by a fatal fire across
the street from Jordan fire station, and citizens were demanding an accurate review of policy and performance. The
report was envisioned, he said, as a “community lift” with representatives from all fire and rescue first responders who
and would provide data, insights, concerns, and work together to propose strategies.
He noted that the Town established a combined department back in 2011, but implementing the change has long been
delayed and the town has failed to follow through in various ways, including years of neglecting repairs to all the fire
houses. He added that no one is proclaiming an end to the volunteer system, but that we need to recognize and react to
the reality of a system that is foundering nationwide. Noting that previews reviews and reports were done decades ago,
when the situation was very different and the volunteer system was robust, Condon urged the committee to create a
fully-documented report explaining where we were, where we are, and what we need to do...and provide accurate costs
for each option and explanations of why we made our final recommendations, whatever they are. He added that if the

FSRSC Minutes 3/27/25 page 2 of 2
FSRSC intends to continue its initial support of maintaining 5 stations, they should be aware that once the shovel goes
into the ground at Oswegatchie, that signals a new age of town-owned firehouses and the potential end of the five-
station option.
Tuneski said we need to put everything in its proper context, from where we were to where we are today and then
where we should go. He added that we need high integrity and accuracy in what we ultimately present.
Atty Kepple told the committee that while he appreciated the effort put in so far, there was no need to struggle with a
lengthy report and they could simply mave on with a recommendation and disband. Condon and Driscoll disagreed,
pointing out that the FSRSC’s written charge from the RTM was to provide a thorough review and present a report that
contained recommendations for action. Kepple noted that the people voted and we've had a combined department for
nearly 15 years, and questioned the authority or the role of the FSRSC in charting the town’s future when there will be
an administration or a director who has their own plan. Condon pointed out that the problems we face now are the
result of the town never following through on the initial plans and ordinances to implement necessary policies and
procedures. While times and players may change, a detailed, documented, and well-publicized report would be a
reference for future officials who, if they proposed a change in strategy, could be asked to explain what triggered the
need or what new issue needed resolution.
Muckle stated that the science of firefighting has become much more efficient over the years, so we should not need as
many responders as in the early days. Condon and Driscoll pointed out that changes in training, volume of incidents,
hazardous materials, electric vehicles and greatly reduced flashover times demanded a suitable number of on-duty staff
at a minimum.
¢. Consideration of independent report reviewer: Chair asked for updates on members’ efforts to locate potential outside
reviewers. Condon reported that Mystic Chief Clarkin and Old Mystic Chief Ken Richards and Assistant Chief Keith
Richards are willing to review the report. He noted that their tenure in combination departments would be an asset and
that while they are close enough to be considered regional colleagues, they are not so close that their input would be
influenced by regular working or personal relationships. Chair asked Howley if he had reached out to colleagues in the
CT Fire Chiefs Association; Howley predicted that they would probably defer, since the group tends to stay out of
individual town issues.
Martin requested, and was given, the opportunity to make a statement before the meeting adjourned. Remarks included
suggestion that IAFC’s Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon reports on combination fire departments would be good resources for
the committee, reflections on his 3-year tenure on FSRSC, and announcement of his resignation. (attached)
Motion by Muckle, second by Keatley, to include Martin’s statement in the minutes. Voice vote: Unanimous.
5. Next meeting: Consensus to schedule next meeting for Thursday, May 1, at 6:00 p.m. Location tbd.
6. Adjournment: Motion by Keatley; second by Muckle to adjourn at 7:20 p.m. Voice vote: Unanimous.
Submitted by
Susan Driscoll, FSRSC Secretary
encl: Pawlak public comment
Report (first half) Draft 1
Martin resignation

Reed froin Erik Pawlak 3/28/25
Fire Services Special Review Committee meeting 3-27-25
First half report talking points
-The fire commission was not formed in 2010. This needs to be corrected for the report
-The report is stating that the town will justify a volunteer as active as long as they respond ta just one
incident annually. In 2024 the WFD responded to 3100 incidents. If a Little League coach only showed up
to one game we would not consider him an active coach and remove him from his position for
neglecting his role, yet we are trying to justify a single response as acceptable in emergency services?
-I feel the term for our department should be changed from hybrid to combination. It is a more widely
accepted and understood term in the industry regarding a department that is made up of paid and
volunteer staff alike.
-Claiming that the standards for paid and volunteer staff are the “exact same” is blatantly false. There
are no pre requisites to become a volunteer fire officer. They just have to be elected to he position by
their peers. Some chiefs have 0 state certified fire officer training and some have not even possessed
their EMT certification. There are pre requisites to be hired as a firefighter and even more so to become
an acting captain and even more requirements to be a captain. Also, the physical requirements are not
the same. Paid staff are required a full physical by Pequot health including blood work, spirometry, and
chest x-rays. Volunteers generally go to their primary care and after the primary care write on a routine
physical that they can be firefighters. The union has lobbied against this practice for years but it
continues today.
-In the report it states the Waterford Fire Engine Co#1 (Jordan) was founded in 1923 but it was in fact
founded in 1920.

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
1.0 Executive Summary /BLUF
TBD pending compietion of entire report.
2. introduction
2.1 At the June 7, 2021 meeting, under new business initiated by Representative Tim
Condon (Chair of the Public Protection and Safety Standing Committee), the RTM voted
to create a special committee, “Fire Services Revie | Committee”. The charter of
the new committee was “to review issues inc! rmance, policies, and staffing,
and present their findings / recommendati F s needed to enhance public
1 Public Protection and Sa
Protection and
Safety Committee :
1 Board of Finan
aterford Fire Companies or the 5
Richard Muckle, RTM Membi
Greg Attanasio, RTM Member (D)
Susan Driscoll, Public Protection and Safety Committee (D)
Robert Tuneski, Board of Finance (R}
Rob Brule, Board of Selectman (R}

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
The non-voting / advisory members included the following:
Michael Howley, Director of Fire Services
Steve Sinagra, Director of Emergency Management
Mark Greczkowski, Manager of Waterford Ambulance
Donald Chapman, Volunteer Fire Chief
Torn Martin, Full-time Waterford Career Firefight
Director of Fire Services How ch Qati e-leaf binder
This bind inf i Director Howley, and
periodically i committee to review, mostly
technical public: ( efevant to firefighting in Waterford. Other
information addres. iffi cting and keeping volunteer firefighters,
the issues of hybrid and i d demographic comparisons to other similarly
sized / populated towns. A
a Volunteer Recruitment Plan.
revisions of Staffing Plans were provided, as was
ditionally various metrics measuring the level of
membership and activity of the volunteer firefighters in Town firefighting service were
offered.
The committee functioned by meeting and discussing topics of interest to the Fire
Services, Initially some of the key topics included the status of the Oswegatchie Fire
Station, communications (radio and pager), the relationship between the volunteers and
2

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
the paid firefighters, volunteer recruitment, and general staffing of Fire Services.
Initially, the status of the Oswegatchie Fire Station was viewed as the highest priority as
it was considered in risk of collapse in need of urgent action. Each topic was discussed
over one or more meetings. Director Howley continued to provide relevant information
regarding each discussion topic. This information added to that currently in the binder.
Over time and at the request of an RTM member at 9 their meetings, the committee
was asked to also addressed fire apparatus fleet ent and general
infrastructure. And policies were discussed spqi ver the tenure of the
committee.
Others, including the Emergency Servié
communications. Most information fron?
verbal through the meetings.
jon of Fire Services related
Study, and Fire Service Study,
discussion and debate on the topics of
‘a both quantitative and qualitative information as
primarily provided by the
public as captured in meeting
re Services, other advisory members, and the
ates. All information used by this committee {including
various revisions based upan year / time} and used in this report has been originally
presented to the committee. No independent research by members of the committee
has been used.
in January of 2023, an interim Report was prepared, and approved in a 3-0-1 vote and
delivered to the RTM.

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
The report recommended that the Oswegatchie Fire Station, described as being in
“extensively deteriorated condition”, be demolished and that a new Fire Station be built
to replace it. The findings of the report were presented at the February 3, 2023 RTM
Meeting by the chairman, at which time, as a result of the findings, the RTM
unanimously voted to create the Oswegatchie Fire Station Building Committee.
Following the issue of the interim report, the Committ@@experienced a brief hiatus, as
own responsibiliites,
mittee. After the hiatus, the
focus of some of the members shifted to other i
including the newly established Oswegatchie
meeting resumed with a change in mem
Susan Driscoll changed from ‘ i ntative to
RTM representative
ent. A brief second hiatus was
, who it was thought could
then provide ining bit requested and providing a final update to
taken pe
provided information. co.
of the committee.
d was partially responsible for the second hiatus
3.0 Fire Services History
Fire services pre-date the incorporation of the local fire departments, which occurred in
the 1920-1940’. Prior to having fire stations from which services were deployed, the
Town.... Need more input here

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
in 2010, the Board of Fire Commissioners was formed, in accordance with a Town
charter revision. It was created via the Code of Ordinances (Chapter 2.36) and charged
the RTM with appointing one person from each fire district to serve on a board of five
commissioners. The commission had the authority to elect officers, establish rules of
procedure, set meeting frequency; and possessed authority as vested by State Statute.
with each fire station in
id not have direct control
ts. The board set policies for
hose throughout the Town.
The board oversaw the funding of fire services. It wo
determining equipment and operation needs, altho
over the day to day operation of the individua
The board had oversight of the over th d the Town
Communications Center. ‘
jWun, the Board of Fire Commissioners
managed Fire Servi gahizational was largely very distributed
ht, few if any checks and balances, and no direct
wards a more centralized organization to better
Town accountability. But
address Waterford needs.
The Board of Fire Commissioners was replaced by a flatter, more centralized
management structure, featuring a Director of Fire Services. This position eliminated the
second tier of management over the private fire departments, instead creating a direct
line of reporting and accountability from the individual fire departments to a Town paid
official. This change in organization placed accountability back to the Director and
ultimately the First Selectman of the Town. It also centralized the budget creation and
5

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
allocation process. The current Director of Fire Services position is responsible for all
things fire service-related including:
Policy development and management
Equipment procurement and maintenance
Hiring of paid firefighters
Training of personnel and maintenance of standards,
Maintenance of the firefighting infrastructure
Staffing
Volunteer recruitment and retention ,
Emergency Communications
Fire Marshalls Office
streams of data contributed to
re and forecast future needs.
e single most impactful step
i Fire Services. It was essential in unifying
he use of data-driven decisions,
hat depended on Board consensus for
g upon the distillation from 5 members on the
Board could have been more §
Along with this change came vertical organization and consistency in policies and
practices.
Fire services today is more organized and in a better position to deliver services to the
Waterford taxpayer.

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
Figure compares the organizational structure of the previous and current fire
services management structures.
TBD
Figure ___ Organization Charts, Board of Fire C t to Director of Fire Services
Fire protection in the Town of Waterford 'W igi i unteers, working
out of the five stations. At on, : i unteers. The
town was flush with people | i f i The stations
thrived based upon local fund
Volunteers were t
people able to take’ ‘ . volunteers has
resulted edt
ervice composed of both paid and
nomic issues nationally, this is becoming the
normal situation for many services. What cannot be achieved historically
with volunteers is being aug
Hybrid fire services have consequences, some good and some not so good. Among the
upside consequence is that coverage of certain parts of Town can be provided part or
full time by paid fire fighters. They can also be deployed to various stations as need
dictates. They are independent of fire station. Among the downsides is that the
additional coverage comes with increases in operational costs, and unfortunately has
resulted in visible contempt between the paid and unpaid ranks, despite all firefighters
7

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
being trained to the exact same standards. The failure to get along is a potential
distraction and detriment to fire services.
At the other end of the fire services spectrum, there are some towns, for example New
London, which have fire services composed entirely of paid fire fighters. Moving to an
all paid firefighter service will come with a large cost that will only grow with time,
based upon annual increases in salary, benefits, and ment costs.
an all-volunteer service for a
orn by the Town was associated
The Town has benefited enormously from depend
number of years. The only financial burden p
with training, materials and equipment, a
Date of
Company Street Address Incorporation
1 Waterford Fire’ Engin 89 Rope Ferry Road 1923
2 Quaker Hill Fire Depa 17 Old Colchester Road 1927
3 Goshen Fire Departm 63 Goshen Road 1928
4 Oswegatchie Fire Company, 441 Boston Post Road 1930
5 Cohanize Fire Company 53 Dayton Road 1942

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
TBD
Figure__-: Map of the Town of Waterford Depicting Locations re Stations and Fire Districts
Figure ___ Cohanzie Fire Station
Figure Quaker Hill Fire Statio
Figure ss Oswega’
Figure .
on October 8, 1801. It is a rural town
36.7 sq. miles in size, wifl j astline and a population of 19,554 +/- and is
part of New London Count d has grown at a steady rate since the 1970's,
although State projections co d in 2016 expect Waterford’s population to decline
through 2040.
Despite these projections, the population continues to grow, and recent growth
announcements from loca! businesses (for example Electric Boat) suggest that local
populations including Waterford could increase. The Town’s Director of Planning and
Zoning notes that the population actually appears to be increasing slightly. Figures __
demonstrates the census trend, Table__—_ depicts current development underway as
9

FSRSC Report/first half Draft 1 3/26/25/Tuneski
of March 2025. Additional commercial growth is likely with the revitalization of the
Crystal Mall and the potential for the development of a data center on the Dominion
property.
Figure ___ Population Change by Decade
Tables Summ
orth, East Lyme to the west, and New
London to the east. Th like Waterford demographically, while New
London is a large (by rela city.
10

Ree’d 3/27/25
Town of Waterford
Fire Services Review Committee
Attn: Susan Driscoll, Recording Secretary
3/27/2025
April of this year will be three years that I can say I have had the privilege and honor to have
been appointed to the Fire Service Review Committee. It has been my pleasure to work
alongside those whom I have, during this tenure.
That said, with this letter, it is my intent to resign from the position.
Please allow me to address my thoughts and concerns to you, as well as factors that have been a
concern of mine that have led me to my decision.
It is in my opinion that Mr. Tuneski, has done an injustice to the Fire Services Review
Committee. This committee was established in June of 2021 by the Representative Town
Meeting (RTM). The first meeting did not happen until April 2022, which is almost a year later,
and then there was another gap from July 2024 until March of this year. The first order of
business from Mr. Tuneski was to determine whether the town of Waterford needed to continue
to maintain a five fire station model. Once the recommendation was made to continue to utilize
5 fire stations moving forward the next order of business was the committee needed to
recommend replacing the current Oswegatchie Fire Station with a new town-owned building.
It is my opinion, as Captain of the Waterford Fire Department, with over 30 years of experience
in the field of firefighting, that this was a frivolous move. It was done without necessary data
and documentation to support the five station model, including a response data analysis
regarding the five station model. Now that we have several stations with 24/7 personnel, it is
pertinent to have this researched so effective and appropriate considerations are implemented for
the safety of our town.
Of note, I personally have requested to meet with Mr. Tuneski on numerous occasions in past
years, which never came to fruition; however, it is a known fact that he had allocated time to
meet with five fire chiefs in town, outside of the committee, but never once has met with the
career firefighters to have a similar discussion.
In addition, a discussion among the committee members at one of the meetings, of which I was
not present, about Waterford having a decline in volunteer firefighters, Chief Todd Patton
blatantly blamed the career firefighters in the department as to be the reason for the lack of
retaining volunteer firefighters. Had | been able to attend this meeting, I would have been able
to speak to this matter and bring attention to what I believe the problem is. With Chief Patton’s

remarks and accusations against the “career firefighters,” | have very good reason to believe he is
being influenced.
Again, my opinion.
Another issue that has brought me to my decision to resign is the current lack of leadership for
the fire service in Waterford. Chief Howley resigned his position in June of 2024 and to date we
still have not found a replacement for his position. The first selectman, Rob Brule, appointed
Fire Marshal Steve Dubicki, in the interim. Unfortunately, Mr. Dubicki could not keep up with
the demands of both positions he held; Fire Marshall and Director of Fire Services.
Consequently, Chief Howley was asked to come back on a part time basis, and while he retained
this part time position, this is only a temporary “fix.” This “temporary fix” does not work; the
department needs a full time Director of Fire Services that can manage and function at a high
capacity given the town of Waterford’s fire department, and the public service needs. An
example of why this is important to the department, is quarterly town-wide fire officer meetings.
Because of the void in the position needed as Director, we have not had a meeting since June
2024, which is a major component to interagency communications and operations to protect the
town.
Finally, an issue that has been known for years and has been brought forward by the union
numerous times... There are different standards held within career, part-time, and volunteer
employees, And some of these variations and standards are a direct violation of state and federal
laws. Osha approved medical screenings for all staff that wear respirators, age requirements, and
meeting OSHA requirements should be mandatory for all employees / volunteers for the safety
of not only the staff, but for the safety of the town as well
I encourage this committee to read a report written by the International Fire Chiefs Association
titled “A Call For Action The Blue Ribbon Report Preserving and Improving the Future of the
Volunteer Fire Service.”
On page 16 of the report it states “A combination system will not work when it is based on
prejudice or when either group of firefighters, volunteer or career functions in a minority role
and is perceived subservient to the other.”
With the above highlighted issues mentioned, the possibility of having this report being
controlled by persons outside of the committee, and the liability of having my name attached to
the final report from which someone may get hurt, I have decided to herby resign effective
March 28, 2025 from the Fire Service Review Committee.
Respectfully Submitted,
Thomas M. Martin
Captain, Waterford Fire Department