News

Fire Chief: YMCA Safely Evacuated Following Gas Leak Tuesday Morning

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The YMCA was safely evacuated Tuesday morning following a gas leak at the South Avenue building, fire officials say. At about 10:10 a.m., the New Canaan Fire Department responded to a report of a severed gas main into the building, according to Fire Chief Albe Bassett. “The gas main was damaged by a contractor performing utility work on the outside of the building,” Bassett said in a press release. “The contractor immediately notified the YMCA staff and pulled the fire alarm to evacuate the building when the incident occurred. All of the children in the day care, YMCA patrons, and staff were safely evacuated to the parking lot.”
NCFD used gas detection to ensure that there were no unsafe areas of accumulated gas in the building and the neighborhood surrounding the YMCA property, he said.

Albe Bassett

Propane Gas Leak Prompts Officials To Evacuate Buildings Downtown Wednesday Morning

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A propane gas leak prompted officials to evacuate buildings and close off a portion of the downtown for more than one hour Wednesday morning, officials say. At about 9:15 a.m., the New Canaan Fire Department responded to a report of the leak behind 15 Elm St., which turned out to have non-explosive levels of propane, according to a press release issued by Fire Chief Albe Bassett. The address is the same as SE Uncorked. “A worker from one of the restaurants investigated an odor of gas and quickly identified a problem with one on the 100 gallon tanks,” Bassett said in the release. “The leak originated from the bleeder valve on one of the tanks in a four tank cascaded system for cooking appliances.

Albe Bassett

Thursday Morning Fire Guts Master Bath at Oak Street Home; No One Injured

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A fire gutted the master bathroom of an Oak Street home late Thursday, officials say. No one was injured in the fire at 64 Oak St. Fire dispatch notes show that emergency responders were called at about 11:22 a.m.
“The occupants in the home were alerted to the fire when the smoke detector activated,” Fire Chief Albe Bassett said in a press release. “All the occupants were able to self-evacuate without injury. New Canaan Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the fire and stop any fire extension from the room of origin.”
The fire originated in the master bath.

News

New Canaan Firefighter Harry Russell Sworn In at Town Hall Ceremony

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Harry Russell had been working in his family’s construction firm in England for five years when, in 2019, he immigrated to the United States. 

One year later, in September 2020, he joined the volunteer New Canaan Fire Company No. 1—an experience that would change his life. It was seeing what the job demands and what’s involved that made the Wilton resident want to become a career firefighter in New Canaan. “I realized that some of my previous skills in construction would apply very well to it,” Russell told NewCanaanite.com Tuesday evening from the main lobby at Town Hall, moments after being sworn in as a firefighter by Town Clerk Claudia Weber. “Not only that but also getting to know the town and the people really created that drive where I want to help as much as I can and contribute to the town in any way possible,” Russell said.

Albe Bassett

‘This Is Not a Best Practice’: Fire Commission Pushes Back on Removal of Funding for Assistant Chief

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Saying it’s a matter of public safety, members of the municipal body that oversees the New Canaan Fire Department are calling for the town to re-add funding for an assistant chief position in the agency. The Board of Selectmen following a back-and-forth with Fire Chief Albe Bassett removed a request for $121,000 in salary for the full-time assistant chief position in January, during the first major phase of the fiscal year 2025 budget process. (The job would also come with a benefits package that town Human Resources officials put at about 40% of the salary.)

After Bassett submitted a memo to the Board of Selectmen saying he could try to make do with $71,000 in overtime that would go to line officers in lieu of the full-time assistant chief, the selectmen did add a $50,000 overtime line item to the Fire Department’s budget (which still must be approved by the Board of Finance and Town Council). In the memo, obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request, Bassett listed five duties that cannot be filled by line officers “on a 24/7 basis.” They include representing the chief as needed, supervising the other line officers, HR functions such as negotiations, budget-related work and fire marshal duties. Members of the Fire Commission during a special meeting held Feb.