Homeland Security Has Benefited Local Fire, Police, EMS

By John Voket

This week, the Associated Press reported that five years after the September 11 attacks, many Connecticut towns and cities are not spending all the federal money they have been given to fight terrorism. According to a review of state records by The Hartford Courant, towns and cities are using federal money to buy emergency items such as air packs and new communication centers that would have typically been included in regular budgets.

In Willington, for example, federal homeland security money was used to buy an emergency generator for an elementary school that would have otherwise been included in the town education budget. And in Fairfield, officials got a personal visit from state homeland security officials to persuade them to start spending $300,000 in federal money.

At least one agency official questioned the purchase of other items, such as fully loaded SUVs and all-terrain vehicles.

“My big question is, are we using the money in the most expeditious ways to combat terrorism or are we just getting new equipment for all these towns, some of which they probably don’t even need, so that everybody can feel good?’’ Clinton Police Chief Joseph Faughnan said.

While Newtown volunteer fire departments, the police department and ambulance corps all utilized federal Homeland Security funds, most if not all of the items can be used for day-to-day occurrences as well as in natural or manmade disaster situations. 

Newtown’s Emergency Management Director, Fire Marshal William Halstead, told The Bee this week that early on after the September 11 attacks, funds pouring into the state and allocated to Newtown could be applied in a broad variety of ways as long as items are on a list approved by the federal government.

“We told towns we did not want them to buy equipment they would put in a closet, label them homeland security and open it when there was an emergency,’’ said Wayne Sanford, deputy commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. “We wanted them to get equipment that would have an everyday use so that if they ever did need it for a homeland security event they would already know how to use it.’’

The state’s share of federal homeland security funding has been steadily declining. Connecticut will get $2.8 million in 2006, down from $12.46 million in 2005 and $20 million in 2004. According to Mr Halstead, Newtown’s combined funding went from about $139,000 in 2004 to nearly $82,000 in 2005.

In 2006, however, Newtown only received about $19,000. These funds came from a combination of sources including the State Homeland Security Grant Program, and to the police department through the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program.

The Newtown Health District received funding that came through the state Health Department, Health District Director Donna Culbert said. While documentation she had on hand did not indicate the ultimate source of all the Health District disbursements, Ms Culbert believes at least some of the funds passed through the state health office from Washington.

“We have been able to purchase an inventory of ancillary supplies we would use in the event of a mass disaster or inoculation incident,” Ms Culbert said. “But to avoid wasting items that have expiration periods, we are circulating some of the supplies through the ambulance corps, the police and fire departments.”

The Health District has obtained supplies like gowns, gloves, protective equipment, and sharps containers. Additional funds were used to obtain handheld radios compatible with other local town emergency services and offices, and computer upgrades that will allow the local Health District to communicate directly with state health authorities if necessary.

Ms Culbert and her staff have received underwriting for training, and to produce a pandemic flu brochure for the district communities of Newtown, Roxbury, and Bridgewater, as well as an emergency preparedness guide for those communities and the Town of Brookfield.

According to Police Chief Michael Kehoe, his department is combining some drug forfeiture funds with federal money to obtain and equip a new $56,000 mobile command center and rapid response vehicle.

“This will be a 14 or 16-foot-long box truck stocked with ready supplies for rapid dispatch and deployment to a crime or disaster scene,” Chief Kehoe said. “It can be utilized for a wide range of incidents.”

Chief Kehoe said the new police vehicle will play a critical role because getting to incident scenes quickly and with the proper equipment is important, even if it is just being used to initiate a crime scene investigation.

Mr Halstead, who also serves as chief of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue, said federal funds are being used to implement what he called a “code red system” that can immediately convey emergency messages to home phones throughout the entire community, or in key neighborhoods in just a few moments.

“It’s like a reverse 911 system, except we would be sending the emergency message to a bunch of homes, even the entire town if necessary,” Chief Halstead explained. “It will attempt to hit every number three times to send the prerecorded message.”

The price for that code red system is $10,000. The town is also spending $11,527 as its part of a regional video conferencing system so all regional town leaders can video conference at the same time in the event of a widespread concern.

The ambulance corps applied federal funds for three defibrillators, related hardware, three sets of airway management kits, triage trauma tags, and burn kits totaling nearly $8,000. The Hawleyville fire company is getting a complete air tank filling station and compressor for more than $28,000, which will be used for all the town fire departments and related emergency services.

The Sandy Hook department spent more than $17,500 on an ATV and trailer. Chief Halstead said once the unit is fully equipped it would be positioned to bring manpower and equipment to remote fire or disaster scenes, as well as getting injured people out, if necessary. (See related story.)

“The town has a lot of areas that are not accessible by regular vehicles like the state forest,” he said. “The ATV will also be available to police or ambulance personnel whenever it is needed.”

The Newtown Hook & Ladder received a $12,476 piece of equipment that will power rescue tools off the transmission of the department’s new, refurbished rescue truck. Similarly, the United Fire Company of Botsford got an $8,000 unit to power its Hurst rescue equipment, along with $3,680 for two new high-powered ventilation fans.

The Dodgingtown Fire Company acquired a gas detection meter that would identify numerous types of poisons as well as accelerants and explosives for $1,430, Chief Halstead said. Additional portable radios for Botsford and Dodgingtown are also on order, along with six Panasonic Tuff Books, notebook computers that will be installed in command vehicles for each station and the fire marshal’s vehicle.

“These all-weather notebook computers will be loaded with communications software, and data like maps of all the town hydrants, dry wells and fire suppression tanks, GPS mapping and, eventually, floor plans and other important data of town and commercial buildings that we would need in the event of a fire or disaster,” Mr Halstead said.

The remaining 2005 and 2006 funds will be allocated for use in the coming weeks, he said.

“As you can see, we got a lot of stuff that can be used in any situation, but especially in the event of a large fire, tornado, hurricane, or manmade incident,” Chief Halstead said. “This is important equipment; we’re not going out buying anything extravagant.”

(Associated Press reports were used in this story.)