Mayor Pavia Responds to Stamford Fire Department Letter

On Tuesday, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia responded to a letter issued by the Stamford Professional Fire Fighters Association regarding the anniversary of the 2007 South End fire that destroyed eight businesses.

In the letter, the association called out the Pavia administration, saying some members were unsure how dedicated the mayor was to maintaining a pristine and fully-functioning department. Pavia addressed those concerns.

"The number one issue facing any mayor, their number one concern is always public safety," Pavia said. "Issues come up on a daily basis, but the most important thing we are always cognizant of is public safety. Stamford is the standard for safety. We are the number one safest city in New England and fifteenth in the nation. Those statistics come through the city's recognition of the importance of our police, fire and emergency medical personnel.

"One of the concerns recently issued by the Stamford Fire Department has been its equipment," he continued. "In response to that, I'd like to point out that the City of Stamford has excellent repair facilities and excellent heavy equipment mechanics. We do what needs to be done to keep our facilities, personnel and equipment at appropriate levels. We just hired 23 new firefighters and, I believe, 15 new police officers that will be joining the force soon.

"We have just assigned new space and mechanics to cover the maintenance of all our department's equipment and have are taking a proactive approach to the repairing and maintenance of said equipment. This is a first in Stamford. The handling of these matters in the past has been different and, as a result of the old ways of maintaining equipment, some of these issues have been put forth. We expect to see major improvements in the area of equipment maintenance under this new strategy."

The mayor also pointed out the use of archaic terminology in the letter from the association, where, a number of times, Stamford Fire & Rescue was referenced.

"I'd like to correct one item in reference to the letter," Pavia said. "The departments referenced no long exist. There is no Stamford Fire & Rescue. It is simply the Stamford Fire Department, as a result of the recent Charter Revision updates, and encompasses all departments operating within the city."