Dec. 26--WEST HAVEN -- Tom Savinelli had written more than 100 letters to fire departments and fire engine manufacturers in a quest to secure the donation of a rescue truck for Maine emergency services students.
It's only fitting that the Center District Fire Department, where he had been a firefighter and emergency medical technician for 25 years, stepped up with an offer. Department leaders told Savinelli a few years ago that when they bought a new truck, they'd send him and the students with whom he volunteers an older model.
That day finally came last week. Savinelli, now living in Maine, and two teachers from the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, left Maine at 3:30 a.m., loaded a 1983 firetruck on a tow bed in West Haven, and brought it home to high school students studying to become firefighters.
"I begged for three years. ... Everyone else said no," noted Savinelli, who moved to Maine after leaving the department and began volunteering with firefighting students.
"At that point, they (Center District chiefs) talked about ordering new trucks and said they would see what they could do and to stay in touch. When they ordered new trucks, I got the call."
Typically, when fire departments replace an old apparatus, they auction it to other departments or collectors or donate it. A truck like the one being donated would fetch about $5,000, Chief James O'Brien and Deputy Chief Scott Schwartz said.
It had been used as a front-line piece until a few months ago, and while it has about 92,000 miles on it, the amount of time it sat idling at fires also factored into the decision to get a new truck. The Board of Fire Commissioners approved the idea to donate it to the school, which is in Westbrook, Maine, O'Brien said.
Commissioners and department supervisors agreed it was a good idea to donate the truck to students who need it, especially since they've met students Savinelli has worked with: Each year, he brings students to the department on a trip that also includes visits at fire stations in Boston and New York City.
Savinelli began looking for a donated truck a few years ago when he volunteered at another Maine school. But when the fire program changed there, he began volunteering with Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, helping with classes, ladder drills, hose practice and anything else related to fighting fires.
The Center District took a few years to give him a truck because the purchasing process -- approvals, submitting truck specifications and waiting for the new truck to be built -- took that long. Chris Broderick, a teacher for Westbrook Regional's commercial driving school, drove the tow bed to West Haven with Savinelli and public safety instructor Dave Roubo.
Donations are definitely needed to keep the school going, said Roubo, who is a retired police officer and volunteer firefighter.
"This type of program is so expensive, not many school districts can afford to start one. This is just unbelievable," Roubo said of the donation. "We're beside ourselves."
The Fire Department has donated a truck before, to South America, but not to a school, since there are no known vocational fire programs at high schools in the area.
"Part of the school is mechanical, so if there's an issue (with the truck), they can learn to fix it," Schwartz said. "The truck will serve them well."
Call Susan Misur at 203-789-5742. Follow her on Twitter @NHRsusan.
Copyright 2012 - New Haven Register, Conn.
