People from multiple towns concerned with the closing of the UConn Health Center’s Fire Department packed two meetings in Farmington Tuesday night.
Firefighters from Farmington and neighboring towns are worried about the futures of their jobs and their safety.
“I know we’re having budget problems but I never saw this coming,” said UConn Health Center firefighter Leslie Prior.
Prior said the shock of learning her department is shutting down June 1 still hasn’t worn off.
“If this happens and I don't get picked up by another state fire department I could very well be looking at losing my home,” Prior told NBC Connecticut
Prior and her children were among those in a standing room only meeting at Farmington Town Hall Tuesday, many sporting t-shirts to support the department. Firefighters from neighboring towns also turned out, fearing the loss of UConn Health Center’s department could also affect them.
“UConn has been the safety blanket for the Farmington valley for so long, I would hate to think what their closure would do for all the surrounding departments,” said Anthony Rokosa, who lives in Farmington and is a West Hartford firefighter.
Local
A simultaneous meeting was held at UConn Health discussing the same issues.
“I didn't get much out of tonight’s meeting,” said Stephen McDuell President of Local S-15
“Everyone had a lot of questions and a lot of concerns about what is going on with no answers in return,”
The union walked away still demanding more from health center CEO Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, who spoke to NBC Connecticut in a previous interview.
"We will not allow safety to be at stake, let me put it that way. We're a health system, safety is our stock and trade," Agwunobi said.
Union leaders felt the opposite was true.
“I feel sorry for the people who come to this hospital that think they are going to have the best quality service they are putting that at risk and sacrificing it,” McDuell said.
The union president said he still hopes the closure will be reconsidered. Agwunobi said there is a plan in place and he wants to look at the situation as more of a restructuring than a closure.
