Norwich — Documents obtained by a group of residents through a state Freedom of Information Act request detail a city plan to eliminate the Yantic, Taftville, Occum and Laurel Hill volunteer fire departments.

A public relations firm that represents the departments released the documents Wednesday night. The departments held a news conference Thursday at the Yantic station to discuss them. Community members and reporters packed the small station to learn about the documents.

In February, the city shut down Yantic and repossessed its trucks after it was one of the four volunteer departments that refused to agree to the new unified-command policy, which brought the career fire department and five volunteer fire departments under one umbrella, led by Norwich Fire Chief Samuel Wilson. The paid city department then provided coverage for Yantic from the city public works building.

The four volunteer departments — all but East Great Plain — sued the city. June, members of the Taftville department vacated their station and the city department began covering their district.

One of the newly released documents is an undated, unreleased draft news release stating that the city’s decision to shut down the departments followed a comprehensive evaluation of the city’s fire and emergency response system and was driven by several key factors, including declining volunteer participation, ongoing financial constraints, and the need to establish a consistent and reliable standard of coverage for all city residents.

Another document, labeled “confidential draft” and dated Feb. 4, explains the city’s plan for shutting down the departments. It calls for establishing a unified, reliable emergency response model by removing the Laurel Hill, Taftville and Occum departments from 911 emergency response. The Yantic department was removed from 911 emergency response when it closed in February.

Under the plan, coverage would be reassigned to city firefighters. The city said this would be done to ensure consistent staffing, standardized operations and improved service delivery. To create long-term sustainability for volunteerism, the city said, it would consolidate volunteer operations and membership into the East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Department.

Through the consolidation, the city hoped to create a fiscally responsible fire service by unifying the volunteers, eliminating duplication of services, and creating a manageable, refined command structure that meets national and local standards, according to the plan. The plan offered no timeline for when the volunteer departments would be shut down.

During Thursday’s news conference, Yantic Fire Chief Bobby Allen, Taftville Fire Chief Timothy Jencks, Occum Fire Chief Scott Eggert and Laurel Hill Fire Chief Aaron Westervelt issued a statement that said the city is close to spending nearly $800,000 of taxpayer money on staffing the Yantic district it closed, plus legal and public relations fees. They contend that the city is prepared to spend even more money to achieve its goal of eliminating the four volunteer departments and staffing those districts with full-time, paid firefighters.

“Since Day 1, we have advocated for Norwich residents and businesses who deserve an open and honest discussion — and ultimate decision-making power — about the future of their fire service,” the chiefs said in a joint statement. “Instead, city officials whose job is to serve the community continue to present conclusions and make decisions for the people of Norwich at their expense and without listening to them — and before the court has even answered the most important legal questions.”

At the news conference, Rob Dempsky, a resident who supports reopening the Yantic firehouse, said he believes City Manager John Salomone would be overstepping his authority by closing the volunteer departments.

“We hear about no kings, no kings, no kings,” Dempsky said. “We’ve got a city manager that sure seems to be acting like a king.”

Like Dempsky, Alderman Peter Nystrom, a former mayor of the city, criticized the proposed closing of the volunteer departments.

“Hurting the volunteers here hurts all the small towns around us,” Nystrom said at the news conference. The volunteers sometimes provide assistance to firefighters in neighboring towns.

After Thursday’s news conference, Wilson issued a statement.

“The Norwich Fire Department’s foremost responsibility is to ensure that every resident who calls 911 receives a prompt, qualified emergency response, regardless of where they live,” he wrote. “For several years, the Department and City have worked in good faith with our volunteer fire companies to reach a workable path forward toward a unified command system, which would ensure career and volunteer personnel follow the same safety protocols, training, and communications. Responsible public safety planning requires that we prepare for every possibility, and these documents reflect one of several contingency plans the City reviewed to ensure that emergency coverage would never lapse.”

Salomone issued a statement Thursday in support of Wilson’s plan.

“Protecting the residents of Norwich means being prepared for every possibility,” he wrote. “I have entrusted Chief Wilson to plan for any scenario that could affect emergency coverage, and that is exactly what he has done.”

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