In addition to raising money for our department, we were able to bring happiness and joy to so many children in the community.

Again, thank you!

Please check back with us next year to register.

Thank you for your support.

A house fire at 110 Butternut Lane Friday afternoon around 2:30 left the residence heavily damaged and its sole occupant with injuries that proved fatal. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

According to Deputy Fire Marshal Matt Odishoo roofers on the house next door smelled smoke and then saw smoke coming from the eaves and attic area of the ranch house. The roofers obtained a key from neighbors and tried to enter the house, but the smoke made that impossible. The fire call came in at 2:27 p.m. Kensington Volunteer Fire Department was the first on the scene and firefighters found heavy smoke coming out the front door.

Lillian Bolin, an elderly woman with health problems, was still alive when fire personal arrived at the scene. Hunters Ambulance was immediately summoned as was LifeStar. Bolin was treated at the scene and then flown by LifeStar to Bridgeport Hospital. She succumbed due to her injuries around 9:30 p.m.

Odishoo said the fire was mainly in the area between the kitchen and the dining room. He said “the fire was quickly knocked down.” However, the entire house did sustain smoke damage.

A live-in program at the Kensington Fire Department means more volunteers and better coverage for Berlin, say participants.

It’s a new trend nationwide and one that seems to be working out well for Berlin, said Chief Mark Lewandowski. He took the lead in launching the local program which necessitated renovating a portion of the upper floor of the Farmington Avenue fire house into living quarters.

The chief said KFD has been fundraising and the project received “a rather large” donation of seed money through the Marjorie Moore Foundation as well as help from the Neighborhood Assistance Act. Now two full-time live in firefighters share the facilities and there’s also room for occasional extra overnight staff. The program could be expanded in the future, Lewandowski said.

“The overall goal is to make sure we have a decent response,” Lewandowski said. The organization looked at a variety of ways it could boost its available personnel.

The program launched in December 2006 and Brian Metcalf and Ted Dombraskas are the two full time live-in staff.

Metcalf said there are many benefits of the program. For example, it addresses recent decreases in volunteerism, improves the quality of service and response, and continues to save the town money on emergency management services.

A person needs to have the personal circumstances that make this an attractive option, Metcalf said. When he was living in an apartment, he found that his response time too slow and when a call came in he was not making the first truck out — or at times, any truck.

At the time, KFD was “looking to start this program and I thought it was a pretty exciting idea and a good fit,” Metcalf said. “It helps with your living expenses and you can provide a public service at the same time.”

Participants live at the fire house, free of charge, in turn for their service. Metcalf said there are no formal limits on how long a live-in participate in the program. However, “I serve at pleasure of the department and the membership. I just plan to keep doing a good job and keep earning their support.”
“As a live-in you are spending every waking moment there. There’s no respite when there is work to be done,” Metcalf said who has been a firehouse resident for about two years. As to the actual living experiences, he said “It mimics the college experience; it’s communal living.”

The experience is unique, Metcalf said. “When you come home to a fire house you are walking by fire trucks” on the way to your living room. However, there are no restrictions on how you live your private life. Except for when the fire bell rings.

“If you treat this job as a paying job, you’ll do well,” Metcalf said adding that it takes discipline. An engineer during the day, he said “I regard my time at the firehouse as a second job.”

To further expand the program, the space has been configured to accommodate members on a temporary basis, as well, such as during periods of inclement weather. Metcalf said “We are looking to expand the program in the future, which will further benefit the town, as funding becomes available.”
Metcalf said as a firefighter, living on-site is “an immersive experience — you’re surrounded by the things you need to work with and you gain a familiarly with the equipment” that would be difficult to get, otherwise.

He has been able to adapt to the sounds that come into the station at night, such as the nearby railroad activity or tones that summon other emergency personnel such as the police but not the firefighters. He only hears the sound that means it’s a fire call. “That wakes me up.”
When a call comes in at 3 a.m., there’s a strong chance Metcalf said that “the live-ins take it.” It’s not that hard to wake up with the “excitement of the call,” he said, adding, “Lately, there’s been a lot of night calls.”

In a letter to potential donors, the fire chief said, “Firefighting and emergency response is a dirty and dangerous job, yet a very rewarding vocation that requires over an initial 150 hours of training and weekly ongoing education. During an average year our members respond to over 500 calls for assistance.
“One of the greatest problems facing the department is the declining number of applicants it receives each year,” Lewandowski said explaining the many reasons voluntarism has fallen off.

Metcalf has a very large room to himself. In the common space there is a bathroom and separate quarters for eating, watching TV and hanging out. “I can live a private life in my room and then join up with others in the common spaces.” Lewandowski said the largest benefit of the dorm program is the potential for increased membership in the department which then helps decrease the response time to an emergency.

By Olivia L. Lawrence Associate Editor The Berlin Citizen

State police are in charge of the incident and Berlin Police Department and local fire departments assisted at the scene.

Published on Berlin Citizen (http://berlin.ctcitizens.com)Posted Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 10:29am

BERLIN - A man climbing alone on Ragged Mountain fell 40 feet Friday evening, causing head and abdomen injuries, but dialed for help and brought on a tricky and potentially dangerous rescue operation.

About 25 firefighters and other rescue workers brought the unidentified 26-year-old a mile down the mountain as night darkened.

The climber, bleeding from the head, called 911 at about 6:30 p.m., an official said, and Life Star helicopter took off at about 9:21 p.m. to bear the man to Hartford Hospital.

Bringing him down the mountain took about an hour to an hour and a half, said Brian Chapman, assistant chief with the South Kensington Fire House.

The operation called for all the rescue equipment carried on Berlin and Rocky Hill rescue units. Four-wheel all-terrain vehicles were also used before night fell.

But the terrain didn’t make it easy for Life Star to find a place to land. While the climber was said to have fallen from a small cliff behind 105 Sanctuary Road, the helicopter could find safe landing only in a field across from a Harts Ponds pump house on Reservoir Road - a second choice after an earlier one proved too dangerous, and still a half-mile from the trail head.

In a further hint of the dangers of the rescue, afterward a Berlin rescue worker came limping up West Lane to where a command post had been set up. His ankle was taped, suggesting the winding trails on the mountain had snared another victim.

The name of the fall victim was withheld until family could be told of the incident.

By MARC LEVY, Herald staff

08/23/2008

Kensington Fire Rescue is in the process of updating its pre-incident plans throughout the Kensington Fire district.  Pre-incident plans help us provide professional and efficient emergency service to the citizens, businesses and visitors of the Town of Berlin. 

If you do not currently have a pre-incident plan, our department would like to, with your permission, enter your non-residential property to complete a thorough pre-incident plan. Depending on the building size and type of occupancy, this process may take a couple of hours or more, and may be completed on different dates/times that are convenient to you.

The process will be completed in a few simple steps:

• A systematic walk through of the structure(s) to sketch the building layout, identifying all hazards, fire protection systems and points of egress.

• A thorough walk around of the exterior property, identifying any hazards to firefighters, locating hydrants, identifying potential apparatus placements.

• A pre-incident plan will be completed and presented for your review and updated if needed.

A representative from the facility will need to be available to tour the facility with the crew, so as they may open any locked areas, and explain different unknown facts to the crew for the pre-incident plan.

If you have any questions or are interested in scheduling a pre-incident planning session, please contact Jeff at 860-538-6606 or Eric at 860-428-1646 during normal business hours.

According to Alex’s mom, “Alex was picked up today by the Kensington Fire & Rescue Dept (along with a friend). They rode up to the house with lights flashing and horns blasting! It was also Alex’s birthday and they handed him a birthday card and a baseball hat. Alex and Kevin Dunn climbed into the back of the fire truck and were whisked away to school in style. I think it was one of Alex’s best moments…..and mine too!”

The entire event was very well-received, both by Alex and Kevin, the parents videoing/photo-documenting the pick-up, and at the school; where the other students were all gathered at the windows to view their arrival.

Congratulations, Alex! We hope you had a very memorable experience.

This essay resulted in Geoffrey and McGee Middle School awarding KFR a donation check for $100. The presentation of this donation occurred on April 4th, at a “March Madness” teacher-student basketball game in the McGee gymnasium.

KFR extends a very sincere “Thank You” to both Geoffrey and the entire McGee community.