The Cheshire Fire Department continued to provide fire and rescue services to the Cheshire
community through the first quarter of 2023. In addition to emergency responses, the CFD’s members
have continued to attend comprehensive training, perform equipment upkeep and administrative
duties, and provide fire safety outreach throughout the town.

During January-March, the CFD answered 216 calls for help. The two largest categories were false
alarms (38%) and hazardous materials calls (19%). Summaries of notable calls related to motor
vehicle incidents that were posted to the CFD’s Facebook page are below:

• The CFD responded to to vehicle rollover on Cook Hill Road on January 4th, and to a vehicle fire
off Main Street on January 6th.

• On March 31st, the CFD responded to two separate calls on I-84, a camper rollover and a truck fire.

During the three-month period, three new Regular members were sworn in, and one Regular Member
(T. Brown) moved to Life Member status. Additionally, G. Stover was elected as Lieutenant, N.
Bremer was elected Assistant Director of Training, and M. Schmidt was elected Superintendent of Communications.

Late winter drills and training covered a wide range of topics, including: ice rescue, building search,
self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), hazardous materials response, ropes/knots/rigging,
overturned vehicle stabilization, standpipe operations, and Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) training.
RIT is used in the event a firefighter is injured or incapacitated at a fire and is need of rescue. The
CFD is also pleased to be hosting Connecticut Firefighter I, Firefighter II, and Fire Officer classes, all
of which began early in 2023 at Cheshire Fire Headquarters.

Other recent CFD highlights included the following:

• In March, several dozen CFD members toured the AT&T facility on Higgins Road to increase
familiarity with the facility in the event of a emergency call. Similar tours are held regularly at
facilities across Cheshire so that the CFD can be best-prepared to provide emergency assistance.

• Also in March, Lt. G. Stover was honored as the CFD’s Firefighter of the Year by the Cheshire
Chamber of Commerce. This annual award is given to a deserving CFD member based on
nominations and votes from the membership.

New applications for membership with the Cheshire Fire Department are always welcome. Please
contact Fire Headquarters if you or someone you know might be interested in volunteering. Updates
on CFD activities can be found on the CFD’s website (www.cheshirefd.org), Facebook page
(“Cheshire Volunteer Fire Department”), and Instagram (cheshirect.fd).