Taftville Fire Co.#2

06/15/2026

The double standard exhibited in recent The Day and Norwich Bulletin stories on tonight's City Council meeting in the quotes from The City of Norwich, CT City Manager Salomone and City Councilor DeLucia -- and previously from Local 892 leadership -- is blatant & appalling. The City Manager and City Council have operated without “Due Process” throughout this entire forced Executive Order.
They had meetings behind closed doors about the volunteers, made decisions without the volunteers' input, closed departments based on lies about performances without due process, and then got mad when we obtained legal counsel.
Moreover, a vote of no confidence in the City Manager, brought forth in this manner, is not a personal attack but rather an open public review of job performance by the taxpayers whom the City Manager ultimately works for, along with the Council.
BOTH factions have forgotten who they ultimately work for, which has led to reckless & emboldened behaviors. The results of their actions are costly (both seen & unseen) and NOT in the best interests of Norwich or its citizens.
Please come out to tonight's City of Norwich City Council meeting at 7 p.m. and make your voice heard!

06/11/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City of Norwich City Council to Hold Public Discussion and Hold Formal Vote of No Confidence in City Manager Salomone on Monday Night

The City has spent more than $400,000 in taxpayer funds to date staffing Yantic and paying for legal and PR fees, while its actions have fractured the relationship between the City and volunteer firefighters

NORWICH, Conn. (June 11, 2026) – The City of Norwich City Council has on its agenda for Monday night's meeting a resolution that the City Council, at the request of Alderman Peter Nystrom and Alderman William Nash, determine whether it has no confidence in City Manager John Salomone due to his handling of the dispute between the City and the Yantic, Taftville, Laurel Hill, and Occum volunteer fire departments.

The Chiefs of the four volunteer departments had the following to say about the upcoming City Council meeting on Monday, June 15:

"As we near four months since Yantic's unlawful closure and almost a week since Taftville's termination, the volunteer departments urge any and all concerned citizens to attend Monday night’s City Council meeting and make their voices heard.

The conduct of City Manager Salomone and Chief Wilson has been harmful to the City's volunteers and has disregarded the public's will, as they spread disinformation and work to force consolidation of fire services across Norwich.

They continue to misuse the term “Unified Command,” which any fire safety professional knows is already in place in Norwich and our neighboring communities, to push their agenda. What they are actually seeking is “Consolidated Command” to merge the independent volunteer fire departments with the City department and have Chief Wilson reign supreme.

A combination fire department under the command of Chief Wilson, for all purposes, means paid fire and emergency services when and wherever provided, and the corresponding need to pay the costs through new taxation and fees.

Their actions have already cost Norwich taxpayers more than $400,000 in staffing for Yantic, as well as legal and public relations fees. We also recently learned the City just expended funds to re-key the Taftville station to lock out the volunteers after the "eviction" was completed, even though the court order is temporary and scheduled for an evidentiary hearing.

The public needs to continue to recognize that the City’s efforts are thorough and long-term, despite attempts to spin a more positive and collaborative atmosphere for the City's residents.

The City Manager issued a statement to the press days before the Taftville court order stating that the intent was to place three firefighters in the Taftville station to work alongside the volunteers. On June 2, Chief Wilson provided an affidavit to the court that the City of Norwich had terminated Taftville and that they had failed to vacate the facility and return City-owned equipment. Then, Taftville volunteer members were removed by court order and told they cannot regain access without permission.

The City Manager, Chief Wilson, and City Council acted surprised when Taftville left the station and tried to spin it as an unwillingness to collaborate. It is either gross incompetence or deliberate manipulation by the City Manager, Chief Wilson, and City Council.

It is no surprise that Norwich Fire Fighters Local 892 and the UPFFA of CT are supporting the efforts of the City Manager and Chief Wilson, even though they originally did not want Chief Wilson in Norwich, as they stand to gain from taking over the volunteer operations.

As we have stated previously, the Norwich community has spoken loudly on the issue, as it did in 2023. But instead, these Norwich leaders are ignoring them and forcing even more qualified, experienced firefighters out of service at a massive cost to Norwich taxpayers. Additionally, their actions to date have not been honest or transparent.

We ask the question yet again: if the City of Norwich leaders pushing for Consolidated Command are so confident they have the public's best interests in mind, then why not put it to a vote and let the public decide?

Please attend the Monday, June 15 City Council meeting and make your voices heard.”

06/09/2026

As we are currently closed and evicted from our station. The fire company members are still conducting training. We have 3 firefighters finishing up their Fire -1 testing and we currently have 5 members in this EMT class that started last evening. We are hoping for a resolution with the city in the coming weeks and if so, we will have additionally trained members ready to responds.

Last night was the first night of the inaugural EMT course being hosted at Occum Fire Department. There are a total of 12 students that have embarked on the journey to become EMT’s over the next 12 weeks that consist of members of your local community.

Stay tunes to follow their journey!

06/09/2026

Just a reminder, let your voice be heard

06/05/2026

06/05/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2026
Statement from Taftville, Laurel Hill, Occum, and Yantic Volunteer Fire Department Chiefs on City of Norwich’s Closure of the Taftville Fire Company and New CAD Dispatch System Changes to Eliminate Volunteer Fire Service in the City
Today, the City of Norwich, led by City Manager John Salomone and Fire Chief Samuel Wilson, closed the doors of the Taftville Fire Company after it had served the community for more than 109 years, adding further unnecessary costs to Norwich taxpayers as they work to eliminate volunteers across the City for not agreeing to Consolidated Command.
At around 10 a.m. this morning, Taftville Chief Timothy Jencks was served with a court order by State Marshals to immediately vacate the premises, including all property not owned by the city. The order also said the Taftville Fire Company shall not enter or occupy the premises without written authorization from the City.
Earlier in the morning, before the order was served, City Manager Salomone called Chief Jencks and asked why he was vacating the station, to which Chief Jencks responded that the court had ordered them to vacate. Following another call from City Manager Salomone questioning him, Chief Jencks received a call from Fire Chief Wilson asking the same question: why was Taftville vacating the station?
Meanwhile, shortly after these conversations, the City’s attorney provided the volunteer department’s legal counsel with an agreement to sign—only after being asked about the conversations mentioned above—that would allow them to stay only if they signed. Like Yantic’s closure, the agreement was sent to the volunteers’ legal counsel with less than one hour for Taftville to review it with its members before they would be evicted.
Taftville believes Chief Wilson and the City committed fraud on the court when Chief Wilson swore to his lawful “termination” of Taftville in the City’s injunction filings when no such termination notice was ever given to Taftville prior to service of the City’s lawsuit alleging the same.
Additionally, yesterday, Laurel Hill was not dispatched to a call in their own district, even though it was the closest unit. Around 1:30 p.m., the Norwich Fire Dept was dispatched to 80 Crouch Ave. for a fire alarm. 80 Crouch Ave. is in the Laurel Hill district, and no tones ever went off for Laurel Hill.
When Norwich dispatch was called to inquire why Laurel Hill wasn’t dispatched, Laurel Hill Chief Aaron Westervelt was told that the CAD computer dispatch system had been down for over 30 minutes.
What was unknown at the time was that Chief Wilson had already implemented another CAD system change in secret earlier that day, which now automatically sends the nearest paid unit to a call. He did not tell anyone about it. At 3:07 p.m., after the incident, he sent an email pointing out the change, which had never been discussed with any volunteer department.
Pursuant to yesterday’s latest unilateral “order” from Chief Wilson, only career fire apparatus will receive automatic dispatch instructions, leaving the volunteers out of the loop and ensuring a paid fire response regardless of location or scope of emergency, thereby doing away with the Town Consolidation Districts historically served by the volunteers under the City Charter.
Essentially, what the City is demanding of the volunteers—including as a condition for allowing Taftville to remain operational—is their agreement to the elimination of tax-free volunteer fire service in exchange for automatic paid fire service at all times.
As we have stated previously, the Norwich community has spoken loudly on the issue, but instead, these Norwich leaders are ignoring them and forcing even more qualified, experienced firefighters out of work at a massive cost to Norwich taxpayers. Additionally, their questionable actions to date have been far from honest and transparent.
We ask the question again: if the City of Norwich leaders pushing for Consolidated Command are so confident they have the public's best interests in mind, then why not put it to a vote and let the public decide?

06/05/2026

We are currently out of service after 109 years. Chief Tim Jencks was served an eviction notice around 10am by state marshals. All property owned by the Taftville Fire Company #2 has been removed and all that remains is city owned equipment. We have complied with the eviction notice and currently Norwich Engine-3 is parked outside the station providing service.

On behalf of the officers and members of the company we are so grateful for all of the support we have received, not only over the years but the past few months. It has not gone unnoticed!

Til next time........... Taftville Fire Company #2 is off the air

05/27/2026

Next Thursday the Taftville Lions will host there monthly pasta dinner. This months dinner proceeds will be donated to the legal funds for the Taftville Volunteer Fire Company.

05/25/2026

As you enjoy a picnic or time with friends and family today, take a few moments to reflect on why we are gathering today.