Two years after the handling of the fire that destroyed Delaney’s Restaurant and Tap Room raised concerns about fire operations, New Haven’s Fire Department runs its scenes much more effectively, according to Acting Fire Chief Matthew Marcarelli.
“We’ve had a lot of improvements over the last few years,” Marcarelli said. “We’ve made great strides in the past 18 months, improvements in all functional areas of the department, particularly operations.”
The department now utilizes a standard National Incident Command System on fire and other hazard scenes, which makes communication among fire personnel more organized.
Before the system was put in place about 18 months ago, one chief on the scene would be in command of everyone at the fire. According to Marcarelli, there were about five companies at a typical fire, which meant the commanding officer would be supervising approximately 20 or more people. But in reality, Marcarelli said, one supervisor can effectively supervise only three to seven people.