NILES - The city's Fire Department has entered into a mutual aid agreement with Weathersfield that will ensure both departments will fight a fire even if it is out of their jurisdiction.
City officials announced the agreement Wednesday evening at the City Council meeting in response to a house fire last week in which Niles firefighters refused to battle a fire because it was just outside city limits in Weathersfield Township. The home was destroyed by the fire by the time Weathersfield's part-time department arrived. Safety Director Maurice Guarino said the city has been addressing this issue since Friday.
''We're working to make sure this ill-fated occurrence never happens again,'' Guarino said.
Tom Telego, the emergency management coordinator for Niles, said the city set up a team of investigators, including Mayor Ralph Infante, fire Chief Charles Semple, Guarino and Telego, to look into the fire. Though the investigation is not complete, Telego said they met with officials from the Weathersfield Fire Department and worked out a verbal mutual aid agreement. He said they plan to put it in writing and make it permanent policy.
''Any call will be fought by the fire department that arrives on scene first until the department of that jurisdiction arrives,'' Telego said.
On Jan. 15, firefighters from Niles watched from their trucks for several minutes as a home at 2782 Robbins Ave. burned until firefighters from Weathersfield arrived to put out the flames. The incident drew national media attention and much criticism of the Niles Fire Department.
Despite the public outcry, the mayor said he will continue to support the city's firefighters.
''This received much attention - attention that is undue to our Fire Department. I believe our Fire Department is one of the best in entire state,'' Infante said.
Though last week's fire is still under investigation, Telego admitted the team found some ''breakdowns of vital communications'' between the two departments during the fire.
Niles was mistakenly dispatched to the fire and, after making sure nobody was in the home, called Weathersfield to the scene. Telego said there was very little radio contact between the two departments and they city plans to work to improve its communications.
Guarino apologized on behalf of the city for the property that was lost due to the delay in fighting the fire. Jason Radcliff, who lived in the Robbins Avenue home, said this week that many of his belongings were destroyed in the fire.
In other matters, council began the meeting with a moment of silence in honor of 15-year-old Dean Gillespie, who died Friday morning after being hit by a car while walking to school.
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