As CT Volunteer Fire Departments Close, Officials Ask What's Next?

Sep. 1—MERIDEN — The South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department also known as Engine Co. 6 would have needed a Herculean effort to survive, city officials said.

The 117-year-old department had 40 active volunteers about 30 years ago in its heyday, but the numbers have continued to dwindle. When a former fire chief told the department a year ago it was disbanding Dec. 31, 2024, the department lost another six volunteers.

This spring, the city eliminated funding for the department from its budget, but Mayor Kevin Scarpati who advocated to give the department a chance, threatened a veto.

To remain viable, the five remaining active volunteers and their chief would have to train with the city's career department, and bolster their recruit numbers in each budget cycle. After spending the summer months discussing ways to meet the criteria, the volunteers and their chief agreed to disband at the end.

"They didn't want to fight with the unknown," Scarpati said.

The end of Meriden's volunteer fire department adds to the numbers of dwindling volunteer departments in the state and new ways of looking at fire protection.

Comptroller Sean Scanlon, the grandson of a decorated firefighter and keeper of the pensions, undertook a study reflecting the current state of volunteer departments in the state and where it can go from here.

Scanlon's study concluded the state lost 64% of its volunteer force from 2017 to 2025 leading to discussions and the formulation of a plan for statewide fire safety at a time when firefighters are battling some of its deadliest fires, floods and rescues.

Colchester Fire Chief Steve Hoffman, who works with the state's many rural departments, was surprised Meriden still had a volunteer department given its size and budget.

"A lot of these smaller towns in Connecticut and Litchfield County, need help with that (recruitment) issue," Hoffman said.

Meriden will continue to host a career firefighting company in the Camp Street firehouse to serve the city and assist surrounding communities.

"They are a small snapshot of the hundreds that have served our community in a volunteer capacity since 1908. For nearly 117 years, dedicated men and women across our community and beyond have volunteered their service for the sacrifice and safety of others," Scarpati said. "This is a time for us to reflect on all the great work, the lives that they have saved."

The state has 200 fire departments as of May 1. Groton has the most with 11, followed by Greenwich with eight, Danbury with seven, and Stamford and Killingly with six. A disproportionately high number of fire departments are in Fairfield County, southeastern New London County and northeastern Windham County, according to the report.

Volunteer departments make up 61% of fire departments in Connecticut.

Municipal career departments with staff that receive salaried/wage compensation make up the smallest grouping at 17% and combination departments with both volunteer and career staff account for 22% of the departments, according to the report. Combination departments either have a majority volunteer force that is augmented by a few full-time personnel or mainly have career firefighters with a volunteer division.

There are also state departments outside of this breakdown that are career staffed and operated under a state entity.

"The data collected shows that fewer people are pursuing firefighting as a career and demographic shifts have led to a significant decrease in volunteers across the state," the report states.

Firefighting also comes with a host of long-term health risks. A study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters have a 14 to 20% higher risk for a host of cancers depending on the type.

"The risks, combined with the slow erosion of health and pension benefits due to budget constraints in many communities may be deterring those interested in pursuing firefighting," the report states. "As a result, Connecticut is facing a serious shortage of of firefighters especially in rural communities. Pomfret, for example, has seen an over 50% drop in their volunteers."

On the other side of the state, the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department that serves Torrington closed on April 1 and North Haven closed two departments.

"This has forced departments in the area to draft new coverage plans and further stretch existing fire sources thin," the report stated.

Volunteer departments are the predominant types seen in rural areas with 88 of Connecticut's 169 municipalities only having volunteer departments.

Municipalities with only career departments are generally in the state's largest cities and their immediate suburbs, with only 15 municipalities falling into this category.

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection is drafting a strategic plan for the fire service in Connecticut but needs additional funding to be completed. It features comprehensive recommendations and a roadmap for the future of the fire service.

"We are trying to gather as much information as we can," Hoffman said. "There has been no direction. We need to ask what we can do to increase volunteer staffing or augmenting staff."

Another trend among departments is to mix volunteers with career firefighters. But there are also budget constraints in smaller towns where paying for career firefighters is a hardship.

"Regionalization, it's kind of a dirty word," Hoffman said."But the sharing of resources to limit costs to municipalities and respond is also being done in places like Litchfield County."

Hoffman said the health risks have not impacted recruitment but the lack of time and money are the two biggest factors for the drop off in numbers, and the study will help address potential solutions, including introducing firefighting into public high schools as a possible career choice.

While it compiles more information, demographics and emergency call data, the DPSS has made several recommendations.

Among them is creating and maintaining a database of fire chiefs' contact information and creating a map to show the coverage area of each department. Officials said that not having the exact coverage area can hamper recruitment and retention efforts.

Another recommendation is to regularly conduct a firefighter census to determine how many firefighters there are in Connecticut, which will give leaders and policymakers the most current information.

"This will help us provide direction," Hoffman said.