Fire Commission

Regular Meeting

Norwalk, CT · July 15, 2025

Minutes

CITY OF NORWALK FIRE DEPARTMENT BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS MAYOR HARRY W. RILLING COMMISSIONER/PASTOR OSCAR DESTRUGE COMMISSIONER RABBI ITA PASKIND COMMISSIONER HOWARD DIXON COMMISSIONER STEVE FERGUSON FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING JULY 15, 2025 Via Zoom/Teleconference ATTENDANCE: Commissioner Oscar Destruge; Commissioner Howard Dixon; Mayor Harry Rilling STAFF: Fire Chief Gino Gatto; Assistant Fire Chief Mark Conte; Assistant Fire Chief Edward McCabe; Michele DeLuca, Emergency Management; Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Coppola; Fire Marshal Troy Donohue, Linda Shields I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Rilling called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Mayor Rilling called the roll. A quorum was present. III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was no Public Participation at this time. IV. ACCEPTANCE OF THE MINUTES A. Regular Meeting: June 17, 2025 City of Norwalk Board of Fire Commissioners Regular Meeting July 15, 2025 Page 1 of 4 ** COMMISSIONER DESTRUGE MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17, 2025, MINUTES. **THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. V. REPORTS A. Fire Chief’s Report Chief Gatto reported the department closed the prior fiscal year with expenditures at 90.4% of the budget. He highlighted surpluses in the Fire Suppression and Fire Marshal divisions due to unfilled positions, and noted the Mechanics Division was at 53% spending for similar reasons. Mr. Destruge requested a final year-end budget closeout at the next meeting, which Chief Gatto agreed to prepare. B. Assistant Fire Chief of Administration Assistant Fire Chief Conte provided updates on building projects and equipment. He stated the Station 1 apparatus floor project is approved, with a contractor meeting scheduled and work beginning within about two to three weeks. Truck 1 will be relocated to Station 6 for the duration of approximately two months. Renovation planning for Station 4 will proceed to architectural bid this summer, with presentation to Council expected in September. Overhead door installations are complete at Stations 4 and 5; Station 6 is next. Orders for SCBA compliance upgrades have been placed, with delivery anticipated in 10–20 weeks. C. Assistant Fire Chief of Operations Assistant Fire Chief McCabe reported there were 796 incidents in June, averaging 26.5 calls per day, including fires, rescues, EMS, hazardous conditions, service calls, fire alarms, and good intent calls. Year-to-date totals are 4,114 incidents and 6,608 overall responses. New recruits will begin academy training August 11 at Fairfield Regional Fire School, in partnership with Bridgeport and Fairfield departments. The new fireboat is in the process of being outfitted and will be operational before the end of summer. Delivery of the new heavy rescue truck is now set for March 2027. Assistant Fire Chief McCabe also reviewed two significant structure fire responses during extreme heat, both effectively managed and under investigation. D. Fire Marshal’s Report Assistant Fire Marshal McDonald presented his report. He reported 175 inspections in June, accounting for 2,089 units, including 30 plan reviews and several fire and hazard investigations. Ten mega multi-unit inspections covered 1,480 units. Three new deputy fire marshals are scheduled for State Fire Marshal School in September. New inspection software has been implemented, significantly improving productivity for both commercial and residential inspections. E. Emergency Management City of Norwalk Board of Fire Commissioners Regular Meeting July 15, 2025 Page 2 of 4 Ms. DeLuca highlighted the department’s ongoing response to heat emergencies, regular public information outreach, and coordination with state authorities. An Emergency Operations Center technology upgrade is underway with vendor meetings held. Needs assessment software is being explored with Community Services. The department’s Open House is scheduled for September 27. F. Training Division Report Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Coppola reported on the continued use of vacant structures on Renzulli Road for training exercises, including non-destructive and, soon, destructive drills, coordinated with the Police Department. Operator, apparatus, and boat familiarization training are ongoing. Rapid intervention training, probationary task book completion, and site tours of new construction were conducted. Joint training with Norwalk EMS on vehicle extrication and stabilization was also completed. Upcoming activities include a Fire Officer II certification course and planning for confined space and collapse rescue training. The regional recruit academy will allow recruits to return home each night, offering more hands-on training. G. Local 830 Reports There were no items to consider at this time. H. Correspondence Chief Gatto read two letters of appreciation. One commended Ms. DeLuca for swift action in relocating shelter residents following a power outage. Another, from a resident, expressed gratitude for the department’s safe rescue of her dog from a locked car during a hot day. I. Personnel 1. Drop Pension 7/1/25 for Lieutenant William Firsin ** COMMISSIONER FERGUSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE REQUEST, SUBJECT TO RECEIPT OF ALL REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION. **THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on MU-229 Chief Gatto provided an update on the new fireboat (MU 229), reporting that fit-out work is nearly complete and that a launch ceremony will be scheduled. The vessel will be named in honor of a deceased firefighter. Once operational, the existing fireboat will be repaired and retained for future service. VII. NEW BUSINESS There were no items to consider at this time. City of Norwalk Board of Fire Commissioners Regular Meeting July 15, 2025 Page 3 of 4 VIII. ADJOURNMENT ** COMMISSIONER DESTRUGE MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting adjourned at 3:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Courtney Baldwin City of Norwalk Board of Fire Commissioners Regular Meeting July 15, 2025 Page 4 of 4

Agenda

REGULAR MEETING – FIRE COMMISSION AGENDA JULY 15, 2025, 3:00 PM BY ZOOM VIRTUAL MEETING To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone and/or Zoom, or a recording in the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at norwalkct.gov/meetings. Members of the public may call in to participate. Callers will not be able to see the meeting participants. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, dial *9 on the phone and you will be called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" may also use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will be called by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be included into the record, they must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. Please email Linda Shields at lshields@norwalkct.gov with the subject line “Public Comment” to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL A. Mayor Harry Rilling, Fire Commissioner/Pastor Oscar Destruge, Fire Commissioner Rabbi Ita Paskind, Fire Commissioner Howard Dixon and Fire Commissioner Steve Ferguson III. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IV. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 V. REPORTS A. FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT 1. Budget Report B. ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF OF ADMINISTRATION 1. Buildings a. Station 1: Apparatus Floor Project funding has been approved. Project scheduling in process b. Station 4: Building Renovation Building/Facilities Management is drafting the RFP to contract an architect for the project. c. Citywide: Overhead Door Replacement Installation has been completed in Stations 4 and 5. Station 6 is currently being scheduled. Station 1 will be completed after the floor has been replaced. (See attached pictures) d. SCBA Compliance Upgrade All approvals have been obtained. Purchase Orders are in process. C. ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF OF OPERATIONS 1. Calls in June 2025 2. Summary of Calls Year To Date 3. Fire Apparatus 4. Operations a. Norwalk Firefighter Recruits will be starting Academy training on August 11th. They will be part of the first class of a joint Bridgeport, Norwalk, and Fairfield recruit program that will run for 12 weeks. b. Our new 29-foot Metal Shark Fire boat has been delivered and is being unfitted at the apparatus maintenance shop. c. The delivery date for our Pierce Rescue Truck has been moved up 6 months to March of 2027. 5. Notable Incidents in June a. June 24th, Structure fire, 8 Godfrey St. b. June 27th, Structure fire, 4 Tryon Ave. D. FIRE MARSHAL'S REPORT 1. Summary of Activities 2. Fire Marshal Fees 3. Fire Marshal's Office Calls E. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 1. Emergency Management Update F. TRAINING DIVISION REPORT 1. Current Training Activities a. Utilizing vacant structures on Renzulli Road and Westport Avenue for various non- destructive training activities b. Ongoing operator training on Engines and Trucks, including EVOC Course c. Familiarization training with new boat d. Completing probationary task books for new members Rapid Intervention Team operations training Pump operator training with new drivers 2. Completed Training Activities a. Site tours of West Avenue apartment construction projects b. Vehicle Stabilization with Rescue Personnel 3. Upcoming Training Activities: a. Fire Officer 2 certification course, fall 2025 b. Use of Manresa Power Plant site for confined space training c. Collapse Shoring at Renzulli Road Vacants d. Ongoing Annual Physicals e. Recruit class in Fairfield for new recruits: We will be sending our newest recruits to a joint fire academy along with Bridgeport and Fairfield Fire Departments. The academy begins on August 11, 2025 and commences on December 12, 2025. The last 5 weeks of the class will be set aside for EMT class. Our recruits will be attending this academy at the Fairfield Regional Fire School and it will be taught by instructors from all three departments. There is an extensive savings on tuition due to the location and our internal instructors assisting. The new recruits will come out of this academy with the same certifications that all of our past recruits received when at the Connecticut Fire Academy. They graduate with IFSAC/PRO-BOARD Firefighter 1 & 2, Hazardous Materials/WMD Awareness, Connecticut Q Fire Apparatus License endorsement as well as many other disciplines pertinent to new firefighter training. The recruits will work a Monday through Friday daily schedule returning home each night. The smaller class size allows for greater skills repetition as well as more contact with live fire. The location of the academy is conducive to a more consistent schedule of checking in on progress by our training division. The location and schedule is also conducive to less interruptions to family life for the recruits. G. LOCAL 830 REPORTS 1. There are no items H. CORRESPONDENCE 1. Letters (Attached) I. PERSONNEL 1. Drop Pension 07/01/2025 for Lieutenant William Firisin VI. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on MU-229 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. There are no items VIII. ADJOURNMENT UPCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday, August 19, 2025