The North Haven fire department conditionally hired four paramedics earlier this week through its SAFER grant, while it continues to actively seek additional volunteer firefighters.

The four paramedics are Benjamin Fox of Hamden, Christopher Shea of Waterbury, Kevin Delaney of North Haven, and Richard Filosi of Wallingford. They have been conditionally accepted, pending a background check and a medical examination. North Haven Fire Chief Vincent Landisio said that the screening process should take no more than 10 days.

“They are all good candidates,” Landisio said. “They all come from very distinguished backgrounds, both within the paramedic field and outside the paramedic field. I am confident that their life skills and work skills will fit well within our own department.”

“We have been waiting a long time for paramedics,” said First Selectman Janet McCarty. “It’s very exciting that come Sept. 8th, they will be going off to school, and assuming all goes well, North Haven will have paramedics service by the end of the year. They will make North Haven a better place to live in then it already is.”

Paramedics are state licensed medical professionals who can assess and treat advanced medical situations on their own with interventions designed to stop and correct fatal situations. The paramedics represent an upgrade in the life-saving capabilities of the North Haven fire department, which is presently only certified on the lower EMT level.

The paramedic program, which was passed at town referendum on May 19, will cost approximately $500,000 a year, according to the North Haven Firefighter Association. The program includes the hiring and training of four paramedics, who will also serve as an additional firefighter on each shift. The fire department secured a SAFER grant from the National Fire Protection Agency to offset the program’s cost.

The SAFER grant will provide $156,030 the first year, $138,700 the second, and then $86,680 and $52,080 before running out. Additionally, the NHFFA calculates that adding four firefighters to the department will save approximately $250,000 a year in overtime payments, so that after the SAFER grant expires, the paramedics program will only cost approximately $250,000 a year. According to the NHFFA, the SAFER grant was awarded to the North Haven department after the NFPA decided that of all the towns that applied for the funds, North Haven was the most understaffed.

Assuming there are no problems in the background and medical checks, the paramedics will be sworn into North Haven firefighter employment in early September, Landisio said. The four gentlemen, who are already state certified paramedics, will then be sent to the Connecticut Fire Academy on Sept. 8 to begin firefighter cross training.

The paramedics would graduate from the CFA on Dec. 18, Landisio said. Afterwards, they will spend several weeks riding along on North Haven fire department shifts and acclimating to the station. The paramedics will officially begin their positions in January 2010, the chief added.

“We’re in good shape,” Landisio said. “We’re looking forward to providing the level of service that North Haven residents deserve – they certainly showed support for the program in the last budget vote.”

The North Haven Fire Commission advertised the new paramedic positions through classified advertisements and fire- and medical-based websites, Landisio said. The commission considered 16 candidates, who were given a written test in May and an oral exam in June. The commission then interviewed 10 candidates in July and extended conditional employment offers in August, allowing time for several candidates to get their credentials in place, Landisio said.

Several of the conditionally hired paramedics have college degrees, the chief said, and two have specialized military backgrounds in the U.S. Navy and Army. “They’re a well-rounded group,” Landisio added.

The paramedics will not have specific time periods in their contracts, according to Landisio. “They will be North Haven firefighters for as long as they choose to,” he said. However, the contracts do contain specifications that the individuals retain their status as paramedics, the chief said, which is accomplished through annual training.

The fire department will also boast four additional firefighters already trained and licensed as paramedics, Landisio said, once two of the firefighters finish their final credentials at the New Haven Sponsor Hospital within a few weeks. These current paramedics are Steve Hayden, Scott Martus, Jeff Haag, and Paul Januszewski, raising North Haven’s paramedic count to eight.

The department is also purchasing additional specialized equipment and drugs to accompany the paramedics. Landisio is eager to begin the program with the conditionally hired men.

“We’re very happy with all four who should all be a good fit,” he said. “They will be part of something special – North Haven’s first paramedics program.”

Volunteer firefighters

As Landisio adds four new paramedics, he is also looking to enlarge the town’s volunteer firefighter department.

“We’re not at any levels posing a concern,” he said, “but we haven’t seen the same amount of people joining the ranks in the last few years. So we decided that it was time to be more proactive.”

Accordingly, road signs seeking volunteer firefighters are visible about town. Landisio believes that volunteerism is down because of the recession.

“Volunteerism and community service go hand in hand with the economy,” the chief said. “If you have the choice to stay at work and feed your family, or leave work to go to a volunteer organization, you are going to stay at work.”

The town currently has 85 volunteer firefighters spread over three companies. Company Two is at 282 Quinnipiac Ave., Company Three is at 1331 Ridge Road, and Company Four is at 366 Washington Ave. Volunteer firefighters are issued pagers which go off when needed for an individual company, Landisio said.

The process of becoming a volunteer firefighter takes approximately a year, according to Landisio. Individuals must first show enough enthusiasm to earn the department’s interest, the chief said. Those selected by the department will have their applications sent to the Fire Commission. The commission will then choose candidates to be enrolled in a six-month firefighter-one training class to become state certified firefighters. Firefighter-one classes are held at night and on the weekends.

Upon graduation, candidates are sworn in to the department as permanent volunteer firefighters. Volunteers should expect about 300 calls a year per company, Landisio said. Volunteers also receive training daily, the chief added, which is held at night from around 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“It’s an extremely rewarding business and an opportunity to take somebody’s bad day and make it better with your actions,” Landisio said of volunteer firefighting. “You are also giving service to your community.”

“We certainly rely on our current volunteers,” Landisio added. “We have an extremely dedicated group of volunteer firefighters. Anybody who wants to volunteer will certainly be welcomed, and after the proper time, they will be made a part of the department.”