State Senator Andrea Stillman
May 7, 2008
Stillman Wins Senate Nod For Bill to Boost Volunteer Firefighter Ranks
State Senator Andrea L. Stillman (D-Waterford), Senate Chair of the legislature's Public Safety and Security Committee, today won Senate approval for a measure that could boost the ranks of volunteer fire departments in Connecticut's small towns and cities. The bill would allow municipalities with paid firefighters to enter into formal agreements with neighboring towns and allow its professionals to join their hometown volunteer fire departments.
Today's Senate vote represents final legislative action on an initiative that failed to win passage in previous years; the bill now advances to the governor's desk for her consideration.
"Connecticut's small towns have had trouble attracting volunteer firefighters in part because a viable pool of fighting expertise has been off limits as members of a paid department nearby," Senator Stillman said. "If this bill is enacted, the towns gaining the expertise of those professional firefighters will have the chance to make formal arrangements with the town or city that employs them to address workers compensation coverage and other liability issues."
Senator Stillman said the carefully crafted language of this bill benefits local governments with professional fire departments that don't want liability for volunteer-related accidents and injuries to their paid firefighters. It also benefits the small towns where professional firefighters live because those firefighters would now be permitted to volunteer their considerable talent and experience.
"Volunteer firefighters respond to a host of emergency calls, from traffic accidents to the smell of smoke to water in a basement, and small towns rely heavily upon the countless man-hours donated by these volunteers," Senator Stillman said. "I'm delighted by the support this measure received today from my Senate colleagues and I urge Governor Rell to help these small towns by signing the bill and making it law."
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