Checking And Changing Fire Alarm Batteries,

Firefighters Respond To A Different Call For Help

By Shannon Hicks

On three Monday nights in April, a group of Sandy Hook firefighters visited residences of Walnut Tree Village II to inspect the fire alarms in the condominiums of the Walnut Tree Hill Road residences. The project was the result of a project initiated by resident Cathy Sullivan shortly after the two storms of last year — Tropical Storm Irene and Winter Storm Alfred — left much of Newtown, including herself and immediate neighbors, without power for a number of days.

The condominiums’ fire alarms are electric, with battery back-up.

“After Alfred especially, at the end of October, all of us used our fireplaces to keep warm for days,” Mrs Sullivan said. “I wondered how many people had kept up with checking their batteries.”

Depending on the style of a condominium, said Mrs Sullivan, most residences each have four or five fire alarms depending on whether they are one- or two-bedroom units. Three or four alarms are generally on cathedral ceilings and the fifth is in the basement near each unit’s furnace. One residence, it turns out, had six alarms to be checked.

“A lot of people here don’t have someone who can help them with something like that,” said Mrs Sullivan, who lives with her husband Don within Walnut Tree Village II and also serves as one of its building captains. “We have a fair number of widows, and even many of the men here, who are done going up and down ladders.”

The 17 building captains each took care of contacting their residents, and Mrs Sullivan handled logistics with the fire company.

The full company had been told about the request from Walnut Tree Village a few weeks earlier, and Lieutenant Ryan Clark stepped up to coordinate the firefighters’ work. Members volunteered to spend about an hour each week joining Lt Clark at Walnut Tree Village II, changing out the batteries.

“In the past we have had many calls in Walnut Tree Village due to expired alarms,” Lt Clark said this week. “After the two storms of 2011, Cathy Sullivan began organizing an effort to offer residents there a way to aid them in changing their smoke detector batteries with the help of our firefighters.

“We were more than happy to help,” he continued.

Residents supplied their own batteries for their condos and while there was no charge for the service, many residents offered donations to the fire company once firefighters finished checking fire alarms and changing batteries.

“I heard about this from Rosemary Trudell, one of the building captains, and had no hesitation at all at letting them into my house,” said Carmine Tiso, who shook the hands of Karl Sieling, Jr, and Kyle Degenhardt after they took care of the batteries in Mr Tiso’s condo on April 9.

“It takes a good ten minutes per residence,” said Sandy Hook Engineer George Lockwood, Jr, who was also on the crew of firefighters changing batteries. “Once you get going it goes quickly, but you’re going up and down those ladders and it does take a few minutes for each alarm.”

Also helping the effort were Sandy Hook Engineers Stephen Clark, Brian Engelke, and Steven Stohl; firefighters Peter Barresi, Andrew Ryan, and Matt Villamana; Junior Corps Captain Andy DeWolfe, Junior member Ryan Piccirillo, and probationary member Nick Fatse.

The firefighters were able to finish their battery installation on April 30. Of the 109 units within the village, 73 had their alarms checked and batteries replaced. By Mrs Sullivan’s account, 366 batteries were switched out during the course of three visits.

“The residents there were very appreciative of our efforts, and I hope to be able to offer them this program again in the future,” said Lt Clark.

On May 7, firefighters were treated to pizza dinners that had been delivered to Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue’s main station by Gino Dushko, as arranged by his sister Dila Dushko, from Pizza Palace.

“I cannot tell you how happy you have made so many people,” Mrs Sullivan said that Monday night to those who had been helping her and her neighbors in the previous weeks. “I have had so many people coming up to me with big smiles, and great big thanks to pass along to you guys.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you all.”