MEDIA ALERT

Fire Departments to Celebrate Volunteer Firefighter Day on Saturday, April 9, 2016

 

WHO:  In celebration of Volunteer Firefighter Day in Connecticut and the start of National Volunteer Week (April 10-16, 2016), more than 65 fire departments will hold open houses at close to 100 locations throughout Connecticut at the same time on the same day (April 9, 2016, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.). Visitors to the fire houses will be able to talk with volunteer firefighters about the work they do, explore fire apparatus and turnout gear, get a tour of the fire house, and fill out an application.

More than 80 percent of all fire personnel in Connecticut are volunteers, and the majority of fire departments throughout the state are experiencing a volunteer shortage. Local fire departments need volunteers of all skill levels and abilities, people willing and able to respond to emergencies whenever called upon, as well as support personnel such as fire police, administrative assistants, and more.

WHAT:  Volunteer Firefighter Day is part of Everyday Hero CT, a program dedicated to increasing the number of volunteer firefighters throughout the state. A partnership of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the Everyday Hero CT campaign is a two-year Volunteer Workforce Solutions (VWS) initiative designed to address the shortage of volunteer firefighters in Connecticut. It is helping achieve a viable and sustainable volunteer firefighter workforce for 15 Connecticut fire departments. Everyday Hero CT is funded by a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded to the CFCA by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a model to enhance the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

• Connecticut has more than 300 fire departments staffed by over 26,000 firefighters, 83 percent of whom are volunteers and are professionally trained.
• Volunteer firefighters can be called upon 24 hours per day, seven days per week to abandon the warmth and comfort of their homes in the middle of the night or during a holiday celebration, leave the fun of family gatherings on sunny summer afternoons, enter burning buildings, rescue stranded hikers and struggling swimmers, extricate victims from automobiles, and more.
• Volunteer firefighters save their communities millions of dollars every year.
• The majority of fire departments throughout Connecticut are experiencing a volunteer shortage.

A press conference will take place Saturday, April 9, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. at Westfield Fire Department, 653 East Street, Middletown.

Governor Malloy has been invited and volunteer firefighters will talk about why they joined their departments.

WHEN:  Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Almost 90 fire houses throughout Connecticut (list of participating departments below)

CONTACT:  Laura Ward | 860.573.4809 (call or text) | laura@wardcommpr.com

 

Allingtown Volunteer Fire Association, West Haven

Avon Volunteer Fire Department

Beacon Hose Co. No. 1, Beacon Falls

Beckerle & Co. Hose Co., Danbury

Bethany Volunteer Fire Department

Branford Fire Department

Broad Brook Fire Department

Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department

Center Groton Volunteer Fire Company

Central Village Fire Company #1, Plainfield

Coventry Volunteer Fire Association

Cromwell Fire Department

Darien Fire Department

East Hartland Volunteer Fire Department

Easton Volunteer Fire Company

East Wallingford Volunteer Fire Department

Flanders Fire Department, East Lyme

Gardner Lake Volunteer Fire Company, Salem

Harwinton Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.

Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company Inc.

Killingworth Volunteer Fire Company

Ledyard Fire Company

Lost Acres Volunteer Fire, Granby

Manchester 8th District Fire Department

Marlborough Volunteer Fire Department

Middlefield Volunteer Fire Company

New Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department/Ball Pond VFC

Niantic Fire Department

Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department

Noroton Fire Department

Noroton Heights Fire Department

North Coventry Volunteer Fire Department

North Farms Volunteer Fire Department, Wallingford

North Haven Fire Department

North Madison Volunteer Fire Company

North Thompsonville Fire Department, Enfield

Preston City Volunteer Fire Department

Redding Fire & EMS Company No. 1

Rocky Hill Fire Department

Salem Volunteer Fire Company

Shaker Pines Fire Department, Enfield

Shelton Fire Department

Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company, Weatogue Station

Somers Fire Department

South End Volunteer Fire Department, New Hartford

Southington Fire Department

South Windham Fire Department

South Windsor Fire Department

Stafford Fire Department No.1

Stamford Volunteer Firefighters Association

Suffield Fire Department

Taftville Volunteer Fire Department

Torrington Volunteer Fire Service

Trumbull Volunteer Fire Company

Warren Volunteer Fire Co., Inc.

Washington Volunteer Fire Department, New Preston

Watertown Fire Department

Westfield Fire Department, Middletown

Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department

Willington Fire Department #1

Willington Hill Fire Department

Winchester Volunteer Fire Department

Windham Center Fire Department

Windsor Volunteer Fire Department

Wolcott Volunteer Fire Department