The firefighters at the Coventry Fire District haven’t been paid in more than a month.
A number of them have continued to work without pay; Friday, just two of the four firefighters scheduled for the day shift showed up. The same happened for Friday’s night shift.
It takes two firefighters to take an emergency vehicle to a call.
“It is kind of scary,” said Kenneth Silvia, who lives within the district’s boundaries. “I know they have other districts, but it’s the response time,” he said, referring to the amount of time another district would take to respond to a call if no firefighters are available in the Coventry Fire District.
The cash-strapped district has had its assets frozen by the Coventry Credit Union, to which it owes about $465,000, according to Board Chair Frank Palin. Friday, Superior Court Judge Brian Stern ordered the board to hold a public meeting Monday to sort out its issues.
The board had been reluctant to schedule a meeting without a police officer in attendance, but also didn’t have the funds to pay the police detail. The judge offered the courthouse security officers and ordered the meeting take place in the jury lounge, according to court spokesperson Craig Berke. The judge subpoenaed board members to ensure a quorum would be in attendance.