Greenwich Fire Department Staffing and Station Initiative Meeting this Thursday, 1/30

GFD Chief Siecienski will be offering information on his plans to solicit funds and support for a King Street career staffed station. Perhaps a very good proposal given the increase in population and construction of homes over these past years.  He will also offer a proposition that volunteer firefighting is an untenable activity in the Town of Greenwich and warrants no further support. In lieu of this force, career firefighter hiring will increase.  Chief will warrant this proposition with data from the GFD personnel activity computer program, which shows a poverty of volunteer firefighter responses to calls over prolonged periods of time.  This computer system, for which there is a terminal in every station is not volunteer friendly by any stretch.  Volunteer personnel possess inadequate training in its' use, have limited access as career personnel are using it, or simply choose not to make the extra effort to enter their data as simply showing and offering services as true community minded volunteers is considered enough.  As such, the volunteer response data Chief Siecienski will present is skewed at best.  The Chief is a good man and a smart and resourceful leader for the GFD.  It is time that he works with the long-standing volunteer firefighting system than against.  In the end, Greenwich residents and taxpayers win.