Chief, Deputy Chief Re-elected to Lead Shuttered Fire Department in Norwich, CT

Norwich — Chief Robert Bobby" Allen and Deputy Chief Frank Blanchard, in an uncontested vote by members of the Yantic Fire Engine Co. No. 1, were reelected last Sunday to their roles, making them the first fire officers in city history to lead a shuttered fire department.

Allen, 61, was elected to his second term as chief and Blanchard, 57, to his second as deputy chief. The two lifetime members of the department ran unopposed.

Last Tuesday, the two sat at the wooden table in the engine bay where two Yantic fire trucks once were parked.

"There's not a lot going on right now," Allen said. "There really isn't. It's just keeping everyone engaged."

It was in early February when the city shut down the 179-year-old Yantic department, cutting off its access to city funds, stopping them from responding to fire and medical calls, and repossessing their five fire trucks that had been purchased by the city.

City Fire Chief Sam Wilson and City Manager John Salomone stated the reason was that Yantic had failed to sign an agreement to comply with Unified Command, the new city-wide fire policy they established last August.

Yantic, along with the Taftville, Occum and Laurel Hill volunteer departments, have sued the city over the policy. The fifth department, East Great Plain, has not.

Fire departments typically do not shut down. And when they do, it is usually because of a lack of members.

But Yantic has 58 active members.

Allen, elected to his first term as chief last April, has become the face of a department at odds with the city. And yet, he has maintained his usual light-hearted disposition.

"I don't dwell on it," Allen said. "I think the big thing is just to keep the guys engaged on training. Keep them informed on what's going on — on the legal aspects. And, just keep driving forward, and keep the positivity here. … I think you have more guys at the station now than we did when we were in service, because they want to keep it together. They want to keep trainings and things like that."

Leading a shuttered department has also meant speaking at public meetings against the city's action and rallying public support.

Allen said other departments, like Taftville and Lisbon, have invited his firefighters to attend their drills and use their equipment and trucks for training.

Ashley Nicholas, secretary for the Yantic department, said Allen has done a good job keeping morale up.

Allen said during the last six weeks, the department has polished all of its antique equipment.

"It's brought a lot of guys together to come down," Allen said. "And I think in the long run, you'll see this crew of guys, that when you look back on it, they bonded probably even more now. Because there's one common goal now, which is to remain positive and get our doors back open."

Leading the legal charge

Allen's and Blanchard's leadership has also involved having to get involved in the legal process.

A few weeks ago, Allen and Blanchard, along with leaders of the other three volunteer departments and their lawyer, Mark Kovack, engaged in a single mediation session with the city in an attempt to resolve the lawsuits short of a court hearing. That mediation was unsuccessful. But Blanchard said they and the city are still in what he called "back channel communications."

"The ball's in their court," he said.

Salomone and Wilson want Yantic to agree to the fundamental principles of Unified Command, which established a single command structure with Wilson at the top, and standardized training, communications and emergency response protocols for both paid and volunteer fire services. But the four departments want to retain their autonomy, continuing to be in charge of emergency calls in their own districts.

Allen said he just laughs when City Manager John Salomone says Yantic will still have its autonomy with Unified Command.

Allen said what Salomone means is "They'll still be able to do their steak suppers and chicken barbecues."

"(But) we're a firehouse that does steaks. Not a steakhouse that goes to fires," Allen said.

Blanchard said even newer, younger members of the department, in a short time, have grown to like the camaraderie and "family style" of the department.

"I think that's a huge draw for a lot of people," Blanchard said. "They want to help the community, but the social aspect. This is a place where you can stop in with your family. Cook some hamburgers and hot dogs on the back patio. Walk your dog out in the field. It can be like a second home."

Yantic, he said, has prided itself on being a place where members know they can come spend time, and have their efforts go appreciated, while they hone their skills in public safety.

Allen just retired from 42 years as a driver for UPS. He said it's been a lot easier to lead the department while not going to work at night.

He cracked a joke about his email address, UPSFireman1847: "I'm going to have to get rid of UPS and fireman right now. It's just going to be 1847."

Members say Allen's uncontested reelection shows they are happy with how he's handled the shutdown.

"Everyone's behind him," said Blanchard, who served 20 years as chief. "Not only me. Everyone's behind him, to make sure that this place succeeds."

"The passion he has for this department is second to none," added Blanchard. "Just like everyone that was before him. And he's leading the fight. He drew the short straw."

Allen said continuing the department's lineage of esteemed leadership is important to him.

"One thing that I think is huge for this fire department — since Walt Kane was chief in 1960 — is that Yantic has always strived to do the best at things. Firefighting. Public events. Yantic has set the bar high for themselves. And we constantly strive, you know, to maintain that level of consistency."

But Allen stressed the most important thing to him is that his department continues the work that began in 1847.

"We're still doing the job, and doing it well. That's really the message, he said.

© 2026 The Day (New London, Conn.). Visit www.theday.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.