Northwest Hills Council of Governments: Comptroller Scanlon Sounds Alarm on Firefighter Staffing Decline

10/08/26 10:00 a.m.

Present on Zoom: Board Chair Gordon Ridgway. Vice Chair Denise Raap. Treasurer Patrick Roy. Secretary Greg LaCava. Members Casey Flanagan of Sharon, Jim Brinton of Washington, Magi Winslow of Hartland, David Barger of Canaan, Henry Tirrell of Norfolk, Seth Breakell of Goshen, Todd Arcelaschi of Winchester, Tom Weik of Morris, and Eric Epstein of Kent.

Absent: Michael Criss of Harwinton, Meaghan Cook of Barkhamsted, Jesse Bunce of North Canaan, Molly Spino of Torrington, Doug Thompson of Burlington, Brad Bremer of Colebrook, Curtis Rand of Salisbury, and Dan Jerram of New Hartford.

The Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG) heard from Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon on Oct. 8 about a concerning decline in the number of firefighters serving the Nutmeg State. The Comptroller said the lack of volunteers augurs a difficult future for first responders and their communities.

Between 2017 and 2025, according to a report from Scanlon’s office, the number of Connecticut firefighters has decreased by 50%. In rural areas that rely entirely on volunteer fire companies, the figures are more dire. In the same eight-year time frame, there has been a decline of 62.7% in volunteer firefighters’ ranks Scanlon’s office reported.

In the Northwest Hills, all 21 municipalities rely on at least one volunteer fire company to tend to emergency calls. The only municipality in the region with a full-time paid fire department is the City of Torrington, but the city also has volunteer fire companies that complement the Fire Department’s work. Across the state, 60% of the 300 fire departments in Connecticut are volunteer operated.

“We are just seeing less and less volunteer firefighters attending calls,” Scanlon said during his presentation to the NHCOG. “As a result of that, you're seeing challenges getting the manpower needed to address fires that are happening and respond adequately to those fire scenes in order to not just put out fires, but potentially to save the lives of people who are trapped in a building.”

Scanlon noted that his office took on the mantle of examining the issue. He then realized Connecticut is behind even on basic matters such as having a full accounting of the municipal fire chiefs in the state. Therefore, the passage and enactment of Public Act 26-45 by the State Legislature is a win, according to Scanlon.

The directive, which was signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont in May and went into effect Oct. 1, requires municipal fire departments to notify the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) within 10 business days of appointing a new or interim fire chief.

Another legislative victory, Scanlon said, is the inclusion of an expanded “Fallen Heroes Fund,” which gives $100,000 to the family of  any police, firefighter, or emergency medical technician killed in the line of duty — volunteer or otherwise. It also awards these families health insurance coverage for the ensuing five years.

The State is also looking to be proactive in promoting fire safety. Paul Januszewski, North Haven Fire Department Fire Chief, said the State’s goal is to ask municipalities to develop fire safety plans that can be evaluated by the State Fire Administrator.

“The State Fire Administrator can evaluate if the services are appropriate and if we can meet the requirements of various things that the commission would set at a future date,” Januszewski said.

At Scanlon’s office, the main goal is to continue building capacity. He wants the state to build a Connecticut fire program. 

“The State would have firefighters geographically dispersed based on call volume and manpower needs that would respond to fires to not replace volunteer firefighters, but to augment them to make sure that there were enough resources in place to actually address a structure fire and address the needs of this community,” Scanlon said.

As of now, the Comptroller has secured State funds to take a closer look at the issue. The study would consist of analyzing one or two case studies that encompass different regions of Connecticut, figuring out how the program would work, where these firefighters would be stationed, how many of them would be on call per shift, and what the response time would be, among other points.

NHCOG Chair Gordon Ridgway, a volunteer firefighter with more than 40 years of experience, said one of the biggest barriers toward recruitment is the affordability of housing in some of the municipalities that need more volunteers.

“Building with the people that are already here, that would like to stay here, that are trained — we already have the people,” Ridgway said. “They just can't afford to live in these towns.

“[It would help to have] the State use its financial power to give tax incentives, especially to younger people, to stay in Connecticut and to serve their community,” he said. “Our people go all over this region and are on call to go anywhere in the state.”

In another matter, on a motion from Dave Barger of Canaan and seconded by Todd Arcelaschi of Winchester, the Council unanimously approved a new lineup for its legislative committee. The committee can operate with two vacancies but needed to fill a spot left by the departure of former Goshen First Selectman Todd Carusillo.

Carusillo lost an election to First Selectman Seth Breakell in November 2025 by a margin of 585 votes, according to official Town of Goshen election results.

Winchester Town Manager Paul Harrington said he was interested in serving the committee. The panel now will be staffed by Harwinton First Selectman Michael Criss, Harrington, NHCOG Vice Chair Denise Raap, and NHCOG Treasurer Patrick Roy.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:21 a.m. on a motion by Roy, second by Casey Flanagan of Sharon, and unanimous vote.

The next NHCOG meeting is slated for Nov. 12.