Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
At a Glance
PETER S. CAROZZA, JR., Chairman
Kevin J. Kowalski, Vice Chairman
Jeffrey J. Morrissette, State Fire
Administrator
Established - 1975
Statutory authority - CGS Sec. 7-323
Central office -
Windsor
Average
number of full-time employees -
17
Recurring operating
expenses -
$2,394,009.85
Capital outlay - $328,949.25
Organizational structure - Office of State Fire Administration,
Training Division and
Certification Division.
Mission
To prevent
or mitigate the effects of fire and disasters, either natural or man-made, on
the citizens of the State of Connecticut
Statutory Authority
The
Commission is charged with and has primary responsibility for training, public
fire and life safety education and professional competency certification for
members of
Public
Service
In an effort to provide quality service to its customers, the agency continued working on various training and support initiatives in partnership with several state agencies including the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Public Safety and the State Emergency Response Commission. A conscious effort is made to schedule programs and services within every geographic region of the state to ensure the needs of both the career and volunteer fire service are met.
The State Fire Administrator and staff members actively participate on state and national committees, boards and organizations in an effort to maintain a positive, proactive impact upon agency services. By Connecticut General Statutes, the Administrator serves on both the State Emergency Response and Enhanced 911 Commissions in addition to the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Coordinating Council and the Statewide Highway Incident Management Task Force. The Administrator also serves as the Executive Board Chairman for the International Fire Service Training Association. Agency staff and Adjunct Instructors represent the Commission on the Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services Advisory Board and various committees and working groups established by the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Connecticut Fire Department Instructors Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs and the North American Fire Training Directors Association.
Employees receiving special recognition this year from the Connecticut Fire Department Instructors Association included Adjunct Instructor Frederica Weeks who was awarded the Harry Kelly Award and Jeffrey Morrissette recipient of the Richard P. Sylvia Instructor of the Year Award.
Improvements/Achievements
2007-08
The following accomplishments suggest the wide variety of activities
carried out by the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control:
·
Continued
to provide assistance to the Department of Public Safety in support of their
Geographical Area Courthouse Bomb Threat Protocol serving as a secondary point
of contact for the notification of local fire departments with threats within
their jurisdiction.
·
A total of 174 fire officers attended Connecticut Fire Officer’s
Weekend at the
·
Hosted
the 5th annual Connecticut Firefighters Memorial Service. Three fire service personnel were added to
the Memorial Honor Roll two as a result of line-of-duty deaths that occurred
since the previous year’s Service – Joseph S. Pagano, Jr. (
·
Continued
administration of the 800 FIRE LINE program, a national volunteer fire and
emergency services recruitment tool.
During the fiscal year, 19 calls were received with only one referred to
local fire,
·
With
the support of federal Homeland Security funding, procured three new foam
trailer units that were placed into service and hosted by the
·
Two
Introductions to the Fire Service programs for youth 14 to18 years of age
promoting the fire service as an occupation and/or avocation within a camp like
setting was delivered to 95 students.
Evidence of the program’s success is the retention of students as
full-fledged firefighters once they attain the age of 18.
·
Continued
offering of the Fire Officer Seminar Series headlined by national speakers
presenting on a variety of contemporary topics.
Seven, daylong sessions were held with 539 students resulting in 4,312
contact hours.
·
Academy
dormitory rooms were occupied by students an equivalent of 6,842 room nights
during the year, a 6% decrease from the previous fiscal year.
·
Continued
support to the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations
including coordination of the 10th Annual Fire Service Day at the
Capitol.
·
The
agency’s electronic mail list service continued to provide immediate
dissemination of contemporary information to subscribers. Communications were reduced to a single daily
message however multiple messages are typically combined. A total of 230 messages were transmitted
during the fiscal year on well over 1,000 items of public safety interest.
·
Continued
regular dissemination of press releases to the news media, most specifically,
in areas of public fire and life safety education. Staff provided radio interviews and
commentary on issues regarding holiday fire safety, juvenile firesetter
intervention, volunteer recruitment and retention, winter home fire safety and
other contemporary issues.
·
Our
Public Life Safety efforts have produced 26 presentations of the Kids Fire
Safety House reaching 3,955 students.
·
Continued
in an advocacy role regarding fire service issues to members of the Connecticut
General Assembly and United States Congress.
·
Actively
participated on the Connecticut State Firefighters’ Association Education
Committee in support of the Regional Fire Training Schools. Capital Bond funds were authorized for the
Hartford County Regional Fire School Expansion.
Additional Bond funds were being requested during the 1st
quarter of FY09 for projects in Burrville and
·
Continued
support to the Statewide Honor Guard initiative. This group of volunteers provides direct
support to local fire departments.
Hosted a weeklong
·
In
lieu of an annual State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) conference the
Commission joined with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) and
the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and presented an
update to over 300 municipalities on Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know at CCM’s Emergency Management Symposium.
Certification
Division
Director Thomas McGowan is responsible for
the statewide coordination of certification and assessment services. His leadership role focuses on using
assessment methodologies to ensure fire service personnel accountability,
competency and achievement thereby, providing analytical information to enhance the
Within the division there are two highly
dedicated full time staff members and 35 adjunct examiners responsible for the
development and administration of fair and consistent examinations based on
National Professional Qualification Standards.
As independent accreditation entities, the National Board of Fire
Service Professional Qualifications (ProBoard) and the International Fire
Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) have accredited the Commission for
having met the high standards necessary for such recognition. This past year the ProBoard reaccredited the
Commission for an additional five years based on excellence in service and
commitment to the fire service.
There is a steady increase in the number
of fire service personnel who voluntarily become certified within the 21
competency levels offered by the Commission.
Career tracking, local fire department and community demand for highly
trained, qualified, and certified personnel, leadership opportunities, and
assurance that firefighters are trained and certified in specialty operations
are just a few reasons for the continual professional qualification offered to
the state’s fire service personnel by the Certification division.
Figure 1 - Total Number of Certificates Issued Over the Past Four
Fiscal Years
Certificates Issued
The
division accomplished several goals. One
was the development of a dynamic 100-page dual-function reference document
designed and developed to be used within the office and field to assist in the
decision making process. Implemented in
January of 2008, this resource offers the division, staff and customer a fair
and consistent written policy and procedure instrument that has reduced disparity
and streamlined day-to-day decisions and operations.
A second goal was to build a more
collaborative working relationship with the Training division. This was
accomplished by meeting with our colleagues to assimilate and balance each of
our needs to better serve the customer.
The relationship between the two divisions has enabled a closer look at
each other’s strengths and identified opportunities to develop cohesive models
that ultimately serve the best interest of the fire service community.
Finally,
the Certification division began a research project to determine the
feasibility of facilities as they relate to supporting the certification
process. This report outlined the facts
pertaining to the adequacy of local training facilities on the certification
process. The areas of concern included
the safety, training, and certification of the firefighter in
Office of
State Fire Administration
This Office provides fiscal and administrative
support to the agency and Connecticut
This Office administered a legislated $200,000
Supplemental Grant Program to 160 eligible volunteer fire companies who had
previously benefited from the Limited Access Highway Reimbursement
Program.
Funding
totaling $819,122 was disbursed to the nine independent Regional Fire Schools
through the Connecticut State Firefighters’ Association. This represents an approximate 22% increase
or $182,640 legislative allocation.
Program
administration was also provided in support of a new initiative to provide
reimbursement to municipalities or fire departments for 50% the cost of
entry-level training of their personnel that achieve certification. Approximately $400,000 was expended in the
first year of this important workforce development program.
The Office continued to provide consulting
services to communities regarding Juvenile Firesetter Intervention. More than a dozen juvenile firesetter
referrals were handled through the Commission.
We are thankful for the support offered by local firesetter programs
that accept out of town or district referrals.
The Program Coordinator has presented informational programs throughout
the state including
On a legislative front, Commissioners and staff provided technical
assistance to members of the General Assembly in support of several legislative
proposals.
Federal grant funding in support of two durational State Fire Rescue
Disaster Response Plan Coordinator positions was exhausted. Responsibilities included a revision of the
Statewide Fire Rescue Disaster Response Plan ensuring compliance with the
National Incident Management System.
This updated Plan is expected to be adopted by early fall. Coordinators also provided technical
assistance and support to Regional and County Fire Coordinators, assisted in
fire service equipment typing as well as updated procedures for the Fire
Liaison position at the state
Training
Division
The Training Division, better known as the
During the year, the division offered 623 training programs reaching
11,235 students resulting in 230,232 contact hours. This represents a slight decrease in
deliveries (84) with (1,315) fewer students and a consequent minor decrease in
student contact hours (9,926). A
contributing reason for the decrease is the change to National Incident
Management System (NIMS) training from direct delivery to the non-traditional
method of online distance learning. Our
most visible on-campus event during the fiscal year was the annual
During the reporting period, the
We currently broker a Leadership Development program supplying a skilled
facilitator to administer and interpret online survey instruments then lead
discussions of specific recommendations for personal and organizational
development. This service has expanded
into 23 contacts within 8 fire departments.
The Recruit Firefighter program underwent significant retooling moving
from a 10-week program to a 14-week program at the request of the Career Fire
Chiefs Association. The primary reason
for the additional time is to allow sufficient rotational practice for each
student to ensure their skill mastery.
Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Quantitative Face Piece Fit
Testing continues to be a popular service offered to fire departments, law
enforcement agencies, state agencies and private industry. A total of 995 tests were administered to 30
different organizations ensuring compliance with Code of Federal Regulations
1910.134.
The Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) process changed as the result
of a State of
The
Commissioners
Members of the Commission on Fire Prevention and Control are appointed by the Governor and represent statewide fire service organizations. Commissioners serving during the fiscal year: Chairman Peter S. Carozza, Jr., Waterbury; Vice Chairman Kevin J. Kowalski, Simsbury; Secretary James P. Wilkinson, Milford; Edward B. Gomeau, Greenwich; David J. Dagon, Mansfield; John J. Blaschik, Jr., Middletown, Matthew Nelson, Glastonbury; Richard H. Nicol, Middlebury; Charles M. Stankye, Jr., Derby; Robert Walsh, Plantsville; John J. Brady, Madison; Megan Murphy, Trumbull; Victor Mitchell, Bristol and Philip K. Schenck, Avon.