The Board of Public Safety is considering cutting funding for the Burrville Fire Department for the rest of the fiscal year upon the recommendation of Corporation Counsel Raymond Rigat, following the unauthorized purchase of a fire truck by the head of the department earlier in the year.
Rigat made the recommendation Wednesday evening as part of the regular meeting of the board.
“Private organizations, individuals, in Connecticut, do not have an independent right to fight fires publicly,” Rigat said. “It’s all connected to funding by a municipality. These are powers that are municipal powers, vested to the city under its charter and under the statutes.”
Rigat said the conduct of the department, Capt. Jason Noad’s decision to buy a truck without consulting Torrington Fire Chief Gary Brunoli — gives the public safety board the option to cut funding to the volunteer department for the rest of the fiscal year. The amount that would be cut from the Burrville department would be $12,000.
“I would recommend that based on the position it’s put the city in,” Rigat said. “Effective firefighting requires the fire chief of the regular fire service to maintain effective command and control over all fire scenes and the firefighting process in the city. An unauthorized purchase of something as large as a fire engine without prior input compromises his ability to maintain control, and is just not something that we should be tolerating.”
Fire Chief Gary Brunoli concurred Wednesday.