Fire request sets off heated discussion

City fire officials are turning up the heat in a bid to win the right to douse any fires in town that they deem a nuisance.

“We’re just looking for something really simple,” Fire Chief Jon Pose said.

The Fire Department wants a legal change that would allow senior fire officers who determine a blaze presents a problem – from smoke or embers –to order it doused.

The request, however, has sent sparks flying.

The Ordinance Committee, which is pondering the request, is wary about handing off the power to firefighters to put out backyard fires that are burning in a controlled setting.

Tom Conlin, a city attorney, said he’s concerned about handing over the power to put out campfires, bonfires and other controlled fires merely because a fire official deems it a possible nuisance.

He said he would prefer any new law include a more defined, measurable standard.

It isn’t clear what that standard could be. Click here for the full story.

A midnight ban on outdoor fires?

City leaders are eyeing the possibility of banning open fires after midnight.

City Councilor Cliff Block said that officials are thinking of declaring a midnight curfew for burning campfires, bonfires, outdoor fire pits and the like,

There is no time limit now for most fires.

Brush can only be burned from sunrise to sunset, officials said, so they are thinking of making it so that nothing can be burned outside between midnight and sunrise. Click here for the full story.


Update: The story that appears on the Press website has an error that city Councilor Kevin McCauley pointed out. Here is the correction:

BRISTOL – The Bristol-Burlington Health District regulates the open burning of brush, not bonfires, as a story in Tuesday’s paper incorrectly stated.

There is a possibility that bonfires may also be regulated, but for now at least they are not.

City Councilor Kevin McCauley, who heads the Ordinance Committee, said Tuesday that the first step in the process for burning brush is to get a permit from the health district.

That permit needs to be put on file with the city fire marshal’s office.

On the day that someone wants to burn the brush, they must contact the Fire Department for specific authorization, which will be granted or not depending on weather conditions, McCauley said.

The department doesn’t want to take a chance that it could turn into a wild fire or brush fire, said McCauley, a city firefighters.

The Ordinance Committee is considering the possibility of permits for bonfires, McCauley said, which would likely be processed through the Fire Department alone.

*****

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Firehouse chimney tilting dangerously

A 45-foot tall brick chimney beside the central firehouse is beginning to tilt.
Though it’s got a long way to go before it matches the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it’s leaning far enough to worry city officials who are racing to have it knocked down before it comes down on its own.
“It could be dangerous,” said city Councilor Cliff Block.
Fire Chief Jon Pose said that he noticed several weeks ago that “a distinct tilt” had afflicted the half century old chimney on the north side of the firehouse.
The freestanding chimney is connected by a single metal pipe to the firehouse itself. An emergency generator sits right beside it.
At this point, Pose said, the chimney is 8 inches off center, but there’s concern that it could creep further sideways.
“The base of the chimney is crumbling,” Pose said.
The city’s purchasing agent, Roger Rousseau, is soliciting bids to take down the chimney.
“Before it falls down, we’re going to tear it down,” Pose said.
It will likely be replaced by a power vent on the side of the firehouse that can serve the same function for a fraction of the cost of building a new chimney.
Public Works Director Walter Veselka said that when the chimney is removed this spring, the city will try to preserve as many bricks from it as possible to use for future renovations of the firehouse.
That way, Pose said, any bricks that have to be replaced can match the ones that have been there since the 1960s.
Veselka said that saving bricks will add a little bit to the cost, but it’s worth it.
The fire board and the city’s building committee each agreed this week to proceed with the chimney’s removal.

*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Firehouse fixups to cost $13 million

Story by reporter Jackie Majerus:

Updating and expanding four of the city's firehouses would cost about $13 million, consultants told fire commissioners Wednesday.
The consultants from the architectural firm Kaestle Boos Associates said the firehouses on Hill Street, Church Avenue, Vincent P. Kelly Road and Mix Street are mostly cramped quarters with limited parking and other issues that could be addressed by expansions at each site.
For an additional $4.7 million, they said, the city could add a new training facility and a "burn building" for exercises.
Fire Chief Jon Pose said the firehouses lack energy efficiency and have "tired" mechanical, electrical and furnace systems. None has air conditioning, he said.
"These buildings have reached the end of their usable life," said Pose.
Sleeping quarters and restrooms aren't private, Pose said.
"There's no facilities for female firefighters," said Pose. "All of our firehouses share those same problems."
The new designs show separate bedrooms for individual firefighters, said Pose, and additional space for more personnel "if that ever happens."
Currently, the city has just one firehouse that can take its largest truck, according to Pose. He said the trend in firefighting equipment is for larger, wider and taller trucks.
"They barely fit now in any of our firehouses," said Pose.
Kaestle Boos, hired a year ago to evaluate the condition of four of the city's firehouses, gave an estimate of $2.6 million to double the size of Engine Co. No. 2 on Hill Street.
"It is a snug site," said Jim Sperry of Kaestle Boos, with limited parking but good sight lines and only minor drainage issues.
Engine Co. No. 3 on Church Avenue is the tightest spot of all, according to Sperry, who said it is also a challenging location.
Dave King of Kaestle Boos proposed a second story addition to the Church Avenue firehouse that would more than double the space there. He said it would cost about $3.1 million.
On Vincent P. Kelly Road, Engine Co. No. 4 has available land, King said. He said the firehouse is using only a little more than half of its 2.2 acre property, while a huge sand storage facility takes up the rest.
"We need to address the dome there," said Mayor Art Ward, who said the matter will be taken up soon with the public works department.
Kaestle Boos recommends more than doubling the size of that firehouse, a project they estimate would cost about $3.5 million.
Adding a "burn building" for training firefighters could be another $800,000 or more, the architects said, and a new training facility would push the cost up by another $3.7 million.
Lastly, at Engine Co. No. 5 on Mix Street, a high water table, poor storm drainage and heavy traffic are problems.
"It can certainly be a real challenge to get the trucks in and out," said Sperry.
Improvements to the Mix Street firehouse, the architects said, would more than double the space and carry a price tag of $3.8 million.
The consultants are expected to soon give a presentation on their findings and recommendations to city finance commissioners.

And a related story:
With the imminent move of CW Resources from its longtime Hill Street quarters to a large location on Broad Street, the city is eyeing the nonprofit’s current home for potential use by the Fire Department.
“They could use that building for something,” said city Councilor Cliff Block.
The old school building, which housed the South Chippin Hill School, is next door to the Engine 2 firehouse on Hill Street.
Fire Chief Jon Pose said he would be interested in the facility, though he’s not yet sure how the department could best use it.
“It’s available and it’s there,” Block said. “It’s not going to cost us anything.”
The Fire Department is preparing to overhaul all of its firehouses, including the central headquarters on North Main Street. Plans remain tentative.
Pose and Block said that the ultimate use for the old school on Hill Street probably would likely be settled as part of the overhaul process.
CW Resources, which provides employment to people with disabilities, has been in the 1,200-square-foot Hill Street building since 1974. It is moving this spring to Broad Street.
The existing building site began its civic life as a one-room school in 1755.
According to state records, the city spent $2,500 in 1914 to open a new rural school called South Chippins School, which apparently had two rooms and was open until 1936. The building, since remodeled, is owned by the city, which has leased it to CW Resources for the past 34 years.
Block said it appears the structure is in good shape.
He firehouse next door has long had a shortage of space, officials said, so gaining the extra property is bound to help.
City officials haven’t made any decisions about the property yet.


*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

A new firehouse for Bristol?

The city plans to investigate the possibility of building a new firehouse that could better serve its fast-growing southwestern corner.
Responding to a call from freshman city Councilor Ken Cockayne to set up a panel to probe the idea, Mayor Art Ward said, “We can set that up.”
Ward said the idea’s been kicked around for many years and with all the new houses in the Cedar Lake area of town, it’s probably time to take a look at it.
Fire Chief Jon Pose said that “a quick response time” is crucial when there’s an emergency so it would improve public safety for firefighters to be closer.
“It’s definitely a concern,” Ward said.
The city has flirted at times with moving the central firehouse a little closer to that part of town in order to cut some time off responses and free up the lucrative North Main Street site for development.
Former Mayor William Stortz said this fall there’s interest by developers in buying the firehouse.
As it is, the central station requires renovations that would cost at least $2.1 million, officials said, while building a new one might cost $4 million, not counting the land required for it.
Cockayne said he’d like to see a committee that included Pose, a City Council member, fire commissioners and perhaps some ordinary citizens.
Ward said he thinks one could be established under the auspices of the Fire Board, probably including the council representation assigned to fire issues, Democrat Cliff Block.
Second-term city Councilor Kevin McCauley, a firefighter, said he highly recommends the city look into the issue.
Ward said a new firehouse could possibly be built near Bristol Central High School or on the former Chic Miller auto dealership at the foot of the big hill on Wolcott Street.
Councilors rejected the idea of buying the former dealership last fall because of concerns about the cost and possible pollution.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro said at the time that he’s also worried about buying up more privately held land.
"We're taking a valuable piece of property off the tax rolls if we buy it," Nicastro said.
Nicastro called it a "nice piece of property, commercially zoned" and said it would be "wrong" to purchase it without a real plan.
At the time, Ward sided with Stortz and Republican city Councilor Mike Rimcoski to look into the purchase, but nobody else agreed so the idea died.

*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoppo accused of "made up" stories by 'Fab 5' in 2005 letter

Click here for earlier blog post, with more detail, a copy of the letter and many comments

Here's the version that appeared in today's paper:
Just before the polls closed on Election Day two years ago, five city department heads wrote a scathing letter to the city’s personnel director claiming that city Councilor Ellen Zoppo had subjected them “to lies, misinformation, innuendos and made-up stories.”
“We believe that this has contributed to a very hostile work environment that should not have been tolerated by any city employee,” said the letter signed by Fire Chief Jon Pose, Comptroller Glenn Klocko, Park Director Ed Swicklas, Police Chief John DiVenere and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
Four of the five signers said Tuesday they have not had problems with Zoppo since 2005. The other, Pose, was the driving force behind the letter, said both Zoppo and Tom Bentivengo, the fire union president.
Bentivengo said there was “no substance behind the letter” and that Pose took a dislike to Zoppo because in her role as liaison to the Fire Board she insisted he follow proper procedures.
Zoppo, who is locked in a close mayoral primary with fellow Democratic city Councilor Art Ward, dismissed the letter as “a blatant attempt” by Ward’s backers to discredit her. Pose is one of Ward’s biggest backers, said Bentivengo, who supports Zoppo.
Both Zoppo and Ward, who said he had nothing to do with release of the letter, are vying for the support of the party’s rank and file in the Sept. 11 electoral showdown for the right to take on Republican Ken Johnson in the Nov. 6 general election.
The signers said in their letter that Zoppo, the Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee, had referred to them as the “Fab 5” or the “Fat 5” and “publicly stated that she is going to get us fired for various unwarranted reasons.”
“In addition, she has spread lies and misinformation to the employees who work for and with us,” the letter said.
Calling the situation “intolerable,” the five supervisors asked Personnel Director Diane Ferguson to do something to help.
It is unclear what, if anything, Ferguson did in response. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Rosenthal said the letter was “was not meant to be a political issue then or now” which is why it was sent after the 2005 campaign was over.
Klocko said Tuesday he signed the letter “slightly kicking and dragging” because he’d heard secondhand “from several different sources the same exact thing” about what Zoppo had been telling people.
“That had to cease,” Klocko said, so he agreed to take what he considered a serious step.
“It was a big misunderstanding at the time,” DiVenere said.
“Whatever issues there may have been have been resolved,” he said.
“I think there were some miscommunications and they’ve been resolved,” Rosenthal said. “I think it resulted in clarifications that were important and positive.”
Since the letter, Klocko said he has had “no issues with Councilwoman Zoppo” at all.
“She’s been cordial to me,” he said, and supported his reappointment.
DiVenere said that he has confidence in Zoppo now and that he has had no issues with her since the letter was sent in 2005. Rosenthal, too, said he’s had no problems with her.
Swicklas said, “I can tell you that our relationship now is very good.”
“The parks are moving along and we have established a good dialogue, working relationship and mutual respect. I have no concerns with Councilwoman Zoppo," Swicklas said.
Klocko said that when the five signed the letter, they were worried about retribution against them. That never happened, he said.
“There was no backlash to us,” Klocko said.
He said he suspects the letter “focused her attention” on the problem of talking harshly about city workers and probably helped resolve the situation.
Klocko said he feels “positive” about his relationship with Zoppo these days.
Klocko also said he doesn’t see the letter as meaning too much any longer.
“I dismiss it at this time because it’s the silly season,” Klocko said.
He said that from his point of view, he will work with “whoever the citizens to tell me to” when they vote in November.
Klocko said that he hopes that a decade from now “the Fab 5” can get together and chuckle over the letter they felt they had to write.
In their letter to Ferguson, the department heads said they expected that Zoppo, who won her third term as a councilor the same day they wrote their concerns, would not be assigned as the liaison to any of the boards or commissions overseeing them “because of her obvious hostility.”
They said in the letter that they wrote it “to follow up on numerous conversations and complaints that we have lodged with your office and with the mayor’s office over the past several months.”
“We thoroughly enjoy the work that we do for this city and try to conduct ourselves in a professional manner,” the five wrote. “We try to do our jobs to the best of our ability, but find the present situation unacceptable.”
A signed copy of the letter from the five department heads to Ferguson, and other related material, is available online at reporter Steve Collins’ Bristol Blog at http://bristolnews.blogspot.com.

Zoppo’s response
Why am I not surprised that this letter has surfaced three weeks before a primary?
This is a blatant attempt by supporters of Art Ward to discredit me before the primary. There would never be a letter from department heads complaining about Art Ward because he is not capable of holding them accountable, because he does not have a grasp of the issues to know how to hold them accountable. He is more concerned about being their buddy.
This is the same man who is afraid to debate me in public on the issues, but his supporters will dust off a complaint that was found to be without merit two years ago. This is clearly a desperate move by the Ward campaign to keep the focus off the issues and make it personal instead. If Art had the nerve to meet me face-to-face in a debate, we would not have to air these issues via the newspaper.
The city has a talented set of department heads with whom I have good working relationships, and who care about Bristol and do their jobs well. My concern for the taxpayer, and the safety of the line firefighters, as it related to Chief Pose's disregard for policy and procedures set us on a path to confrontation when I was on the Fire Board.
I expect that department heads adhere to a high standard because that is what leadership is all about. It is unfortunate that in Chief Pose's need to go after me, he involved other department heads. Chief Pose's complaint had no merit then, and still doesn't today.




*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoppo blasted for "lies" and more by 5 department heads

** BRISTOL PRESS EXCLUSIVE **
-- Story is still developing so check back later --
** Check Wednesday's paper for the final version of this story. But go ahead and read this entry, too, because there's more here than could ever fit in a newspaper story! **

Just before the polls closed on Election Day two years ago, five city department heads wrote a scathing letter to the city’s personnel director claiming that city Councilor Ellen Zoppo had subjected them “to lies, misinformation, innuendos and made-up stories.”
“We believe that this has contributed to a very hostile work environment that should not have been tolerated by any city employee,” said the letter signed by Fire Chief Jon Pose, Comptroller Glenn Klocko, Park Director Ed Swicklas, Police Chief John DiVenere and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
They said in the letter that Zoppo, the Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee, had referred to them as the “Fab 5” or the “Fat 5” and “publicly stated that she is going to get us fired for various unwarranted reasons.”
“In addition, she has spread lies and misinformation to the employees who work for and with us,” the letter said.
Calling the situation “intolerable,” the five supervisors asked Personnel Director Diane Ferguson to do something to help.
Here's the letter:

To see the letter much more clearly, go here: Flickr link

10:20 Update:
City Comptroller Glenn Klocko said Tuesday he signed the letter “slightly kicking and dragging” because he’d heard secondhand “from several different sources the same exact thing” about what Zoppo had been telling people.
“That had to cease,” Klocko said, so he agreed to take what he considered a serious step.
Since the letter, Klocko said he has had “no issues with Councilwoman Zoppo” at all.
“She’s been cordial to me,” he said, and supported his reappointment.
Klocko said that when the five signed the letter, they were worried about retribution against them. That never happened, he said.
“There was no backlash to us,” Klocko said.
He said he suspects the letter “focused her attention” on the problem of talking harshly about city workers and probably helped resolve the situation.
Klocko said he feels “positive” about his relationship with Zoppo these days.
Klocko also said he doesn’t see the letter as meaning too much any longer.
“I dismiss it at this time because it’s the silly season,” Klocko said.
He said that from his point of view, he will work with “whoever the citizens to tell me to” when they vote in November.
Klocko said that he hopes that a decade from now “the Fab 5” can get together and chuckle over the letter they felt they had to write.

10:45 Update:

“It was a big misunderstanding at the time,” Police Chief John DiVenere said Tuesday.
“Whatever issues there may have been have been resolved,” he said.
DiVenere said that he has confidence in Zoppo now and that he has had no issues with her since the letter was sent in 2005.

11:10 a.m. Update:

Both Park Director Ed Swicklas and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city's economic development director, said they haven't had any problems with Zoppo since writing the letter in 2005.

Pose said the letter speaks for itself.

I haven't heard back from Zoppo or Ferguson.

11:15 a.m.

From Ellen Zoppo, minutes ago:

Why am I not surprised that this letter has surfaced 3 weeks before a primary?
This is a blatant attempt by supporters of Art Ward to discredit me before the primary. There would never be a letter from department heads complaining about Art Ward because he is not capable of holding them accountable, because he does not have a grasp of the issues to know how to hold them accountable. He is more concerned about being their buddy.
This is the same man who is afraid to debate me in public on the issues, but his supporters will dust off a complaint that was found to be without merit two years ago. This is clearly a desperate move by the Ward campaign to keep the focus off the issues and make it personal instead. If Art had the nerve to meet me face-to-face in a debate, we would not have to air these issues via the newspaper.
The city has a talented set of department heads with whom I have good working relationships, and who care about Bristol and do their jobs well. My concern for the taxpayer, and the safety of the line firefighters, as it related to Chief Pose's disregard for policy and procedures set us on a path to confrontation when I was on the Fire Board.
I expect that department heads adhere to a high standard because that is what leadership is all about. It is unfortunate that in Chief Pose's need to go after me, he involved other department heads. Chief Pose's complaint had no merit then, and still doesn't today.

12:30 p.m.
Tom Bentivengo, president of the firefighters union, said that Pose wrote the letter and convinced the other four department heads to sign it.
“He’s behind the whole thing,” Bentivengo said.
He said that “there’s no substance to that letter” and that Pose didn’t like Zoppo because she insisted he follow the correct procedures and policies within city government.
Moreoever, Bentivengo said, Pose is a big supporter for Ward.
“He is his number one backer,” Bentivengo said. “He is his number one advisor.”
In his off-hours, Pose even helped get signatures for Ward, the fire union president said.
He said the problem between Zoppo and Pose began because Pose “has no patience” and did not want to follow the sometimes cumbersome procedures to get new equipment for a fire department that needed updating.
Zoppo “was like guiding him through the process and procedure” of how to get what the department needed, Bentivengo said.
But Pose didn’t listen to her and wound up delaying things by mishandling them in his rush to try to get what the department needed, Bentivengo said.
Pose “started to say Ellen was interfering with him. He wanted to do it his way” and not wait for the proper approvals, Bentivengo said. “He wanted it done today.”
“Everything fell apart” between Pose and Zoppo, he said, because of the chief’s impatience. “He thought it was all her and, of course, it was not.”
About the time of the letter, Zoppo was also holding other department heads to account, Bentivengo said, because they were acting too much like a city manager and not necessarily following procedures. Some were overstepping their roles, he said.
“At that particular time, things got a little shrill,” Bentivengo said. The department heads “were in a panic mind.”

1:50 p.m.

From Art Ward: "I would appreciate it if you were to inform Ms. Zoppo-Sassu and anyone else of the same mindset, that I was not the person to provide you with the letter in question and that I will state, unequivocally, that I did not have any knowledge of it being presented to you.These preconceived rants and rages of Ms. Zoppo-Sassu are completely in concert with the reasons that I don't believe that a debate would provide any positive assurances of respect or decency that the voters might utilize to arrive at their ultimate decision on Primary Day, Tuesday, September, 11."

*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com