East Hartford Fire Department Promotes Two, Hires Three

June 05, 2014|BY HILDA MUĂ‘OZ, hmunoz@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

EAST HARTFORD — The East Hartford Fire Department swore in three new recruits and promoted two firefighters Thursday at town hall.

Fire Chief John Oates stressed the difficulty of getting through 14 weeks at the Connecticut Fire Academy and of passing the department's promotional test.

"Until you look at the small library of books we make you read, coupled with the hundreds of policies and procedures we make you memorize, the ability to make the fire truck do what you want it to do … It's really tough. It's not a game. It takes time, it takes effort to get to this point," he said.

Daniel Slomcinsky, one of the new hires, was a volunteer firefighter with Manchester's Eight Utilities District and worked as a paramedic and an EMT before behind hired as a firefighter in East Hartford. Slomcinsky said his father briefly worked as a firefighter and helped him get his foot in the door.

Matt Polesel studied music at Central Connecticut State University, was a volunteer firefighter in 2002 and was hired by the Guilford Fire Department four years ago.

"It's a lot of excitement. It's an opportunity to help. It's a very rewarding feeling when you've left the scene and you've helped a citizen's life," Polesel said.

The third new recruit, Daniel Foran, worked as a paramedic for 10 years.

Firefighters Andrew Malone and Kevin Goodman were promoted to pumper drivers and operators.

Malone has been with the department for nine years. He started as a volunteer firefighter in New York at age 16. Goodman has been with the department for 14 years. He has associate's degree in fire science and works part time as an emergency dispatcher in Tolland County.

Also during Thursday's ceremony, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson presented the department with a $298,431 grant, awarded through the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

"In order to get that grant you have to be competent. All of them are vetted and only the best end up getting the money," Larson said. "It's a testament to the chief."

The money will cover 40 new breathing apparatus, 80 bottles of compressed air and 130 face masks, Oates said.

"That grant is huge because it represents the amount of money that the community would be hard pressed to replicate," Oates said.

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