About Us

The City of Torrington Fire Department is guided by Fire Chief Eric Borden.  The Department provides the ultimate public safety service protecting life and property from the ravages of fire and other emergencies such as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials releases and problems related to severe weather. To do this effectively the department has 3 components: Training/Safety, Investigation/Prevention, and Operations.

 
Operations

The mainstay of the Fire Department is the day-to-day response to requests from the public for assistance. Deputy Fire Chief David Tripp is charged with overseeing the daily operations of the department. His duties include direction of operations during emergency incidents, purchasing of firefighting equipment, overseeing vehicle maintenance, and providing top quality turnout gear and sharp dress uniforms for all fire fighters.  Click here to view our current apparatus inventory!

The Fire Department is composed of four shifts, each shift encompassing an average of 42 hours per week. Fire fighters work a 24 hours on/72 hours off schedule. Each shift has a Battalion Chief serving as Shift Commander assisted by 3 Lieutenants, who supervise nine fire fighters. Between alarms, all personnel train on the latest firefighting and rescue techniques, check their equipment for readiness, and maintain the fire station and grounds. Click here to learn more about Torrington's current personnel.

Training / Safety

Assistant Chief of Training and Safety Robert Shopey, who serves as the Training Officer, is charged with assuring all the department's personnel are ready and capable of dealing with whatever they might face in the course of their jobs. This encompasses not only operational activities (extinguishing fires and performing rescue maneuvers), but also the administrative and management functions necessary to assure the smooth operation of the organization. He also oversees the health and safety aspects of the department operations, assuring compliance with federally mandated OSHA standards.

Assistant Chief of Training and Safety personally oversees all aspects of training, including implementation of new programs, development of lesson plan outlines, and scheduling classes. He is also responsible for the care and maintenance of the training equipment and keeping the department's fire service library up to date. Much of the actual training is also provided by the Training Officer with occasional help from others who are certified as Fire Instructors by the State. Occasionally, outside experts are utilized for specialized training programs. 

Fire Prevention and Fire Investigation Division

The Office of the Fire Marshal is led by Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention and Investigation Edward Bascetta, who also serves as Fire Marshal. Assisting him in the office are two Deputy Fire Marshals. The primary function of this office is to promote fire prevention and investigate the cause of all fires. Fire prevention is accomplished by both public education and code enforcement. Fire investigation is accomplished by utilizing modern day resources to determine the origin and cause of all fires. State mandated duties include investigating all fires for origin and cause and conducting fire safety inspections of all places of business, public assembly, apartment buildings, day care, and health care facilities. State mandates also include reviewing all proposed construction plans for life safety code compliance, issuing blasting permits, and reporting the location of all hazardous materials. All personnel must complete 90 hours of refresher training every three years to maintain their certification. The Fire Marshal's Office is also the headquarters for the Fire hawk Program and the Fire Prevention School Program.