Melissa Mack
September is a wonderful time of year with kids back at school, the onset of cooler evenings and opportunities for social gatherings like Suffield on the Green. September also brings to mind a truly horrific day in our nation’s history, 9/11. We remember each precious life lost, and the bravery of the many first responders. What better time than to recognize and thank Suffield’s own first responders, many of whom are unpaid volunteers serving our community. These volunteers, in particular, sacrifice much of their personal time with their families in order to ensure they have the skills to keep themselves and our residents safe. A few stats which illustrate this volunteer commitment to our town, and how they clearly go above and beyond:
• Minimum Fire 1 certification requires volunteer firefighters to amass 160 hours of training time in Firefighting, Hazardous Materials Operations, Infectious Disease Control, Incident Command System and Breathing Apparatus, and a minimum of 30 more hours per year in other training.
• These hours are in addition to on duty hours for actual fire alarm responses which average at 500 per year.
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification requires 140 training hours in Hazmat, Bloodborne Pathogens, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Mass Casualty Triage plus 24 hours, minimum, per year in other training.
• These hours are in addition to the nearly 1,600 calls each year that the Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association answers.
The desire to go above and beyond is not limited, however, to our volunteer first responders or to “just” keeping us safe. Recently, three of our employees were honored for contributions in their respective fields. Chief of the Suffield Fire Department Charles Flynn was inducted into the Connecticut Firefighters Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Suffield Emergency Management Director and Suffield Volunteer Ambulance Association Chief Art Groux was the recipient of the 2017 Connecticut EMS Connecticut Public Health Commissioner’s Award which recognizes and commends an individual who has made an impact on pre-hospital care. Sergeant Trovato of the Suffield Police Department was awarded a Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Award for 2017 in recognition of his DWI enforcement.
As members of active organizations, our first responders also continue to enrich the Town of Suffield with community events that bring us all together. Recent examples include the popular Family Night and Fireworks sponsored by the Suffield Firemen’s Association and National Night Out hosted by the SPD.
It is not difficult to think of recent incidents in town when we have all been grateful for the swift and prepared first responders who have answered the call. The bizarre lightning accident that recently left a mother and her two children suspended in their vehicle is a good example not only of an excellent outcome, but of the skill of the first responders and their ability to collaborate successfully together. The multiple casualty early morning bus accident on Mountain Road could have been total chaos but EMS, Fire and Police triaging the injured were organized, calm and professional. I will personally be forever thankful for the help of the SVAA and PD in my own family’s critical time of need nearly 10 years ago.
And then there is another Town Department deserving of first responder appreciation, the men in yellow, our dedicated Highway Department. These valuable members of Suffield’s public safety team are often first on the scene of accidents or downed trees/ poles securing roads, clearing paths and performing other critical support to the responding team. As we commemorate 9/11 this September, please make a point to let these special members of our town know how much we appreciate them for all that they do for each one of us.
A quick update on the Town’s work during the summer months…
We renewed the contract with the Suffield Emergency Aid Association to provide the Town’s adult social services for an additional five years. Our town has been blessed to receive the caring and compassionately delivered services of EAA’s staff and its volunteers for 15 years.
The Town has been busy advancing our capital projects. The RFP (request for proposal) went out in August for the Bridge Street School Community Center. A total of seven architects, one landscape architect and four construction managers at risk participated in the walk through of the property. At this writing sealed bids had not yet been received (due August 16) but we are anxious to share the information and decide next steps. We received a new estimate for the revised Town Hall plans in August and will begin discussions with the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and residents (via Town Meeting) to approve both the new plan and the necessary funding.
With still no budget from the State, Suffield is working hard to shore up its own ledger. CIRMA (Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency), the Town’s property and liability insurer, issued a member equity distribution to Suffield in the amount of $39,991. The solar project approved by the Town last fiscal year will be on-line with Eversource in October with savings expected to begin for electricity provided to Suffield municipal buildings by the end of December 2017. Finally, the Town Clerk’s office received a Historic Documents Preservation Grant totaling $4,000 to defray some of its operational costs. We continue to seek cost-effective ways to improve our governance and bottom line as we weather this difficult budget process.
I end this Observer article by offering my sincere gratitude to Patrick McMahon for his service over the past 15 years as Suffield’s Economic and Community Development Director. We wish him well in his new venture as CEO of Connecticut Main Street Center and hope he will remember us when he encounters opportunities that could benefit our beautiful Suffield community.