Government

First Selectman: New Canaan Achieves High Fire Protection Rating

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New Canaan’s highest elected official said town residents likely will see better fire-related insurance premiums following an even stronger rating of the local fire department. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said in a press release Tuesday that the town is seeing a “significant upgrade” to its fire protection rating from the Insurance Service Office—a way to measure the emergency response agency’s performance, efficiency and effectiveness based on a set of standards, according to this FEMA-published report. “Less than 1 percent of ISO-rated communities have achieved a rating lower than 4,” he said. New Canaan formerly had been rated 6/9 by ISO, Mallozzi said. The rating company’s citation includes this paragraph, he said: “Improvements in firefighting water supply are the primary reason for the improvement.

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New Canaan Firefighters Undergo ‘Patient Packaging and Hauling’ Training

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New Canaan firefighters on Tuesday underwent a specialized type of training that prepares them for safely packaging and hauling a patient up a steep embankment, such as after an individual is ejected from a motor vehicle or falls down a hill in the woods. “The idea is to get a rescuer down to the person in a safe way, do a quick patient assessment, stabilize the patient, take care of any [cervical] spine precautions, package them in a way that we can get them back up the hill,” said New Canaan Fire Department Lt. Duffy Sasser, who underwent the training with several other career firefighters as well as a member of the volunteer company. “We try to pull that sort of gear out at least a few times a year, because—although that is a very low-frequency event for us—it is something that, when it happens, you need everybody on the same page when it comes to putting all those systems to use and it comes to using the proper knots and all the things that have to come together to make that work,” Sasser said. The volunteer New Canaan Fire Company undergoes the same training as the career firefighters, on the same schedule, he said—in this case, working the same ropes and knots systems—“because everybody has to be hands-on and it’s important that we are consistent across-the-board.”

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Fire Log: Car Accidents, Reported Chimney Fire

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New Canaan Fire Department activity in recent days and weeks has included a chimney fire on East Maple Street and car accidents on Main Street, Laurel Road and Frogtown Road. Here’s a roundup of other recent calls:

Tuesday, Jan. 19: At 8:52 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries at Old Stamford and Farm Roads. There, emergency responders came upon what appeared to be a single-vehicle accident with fluids in the roadway. Apparently the car had run over a tree limb or something similar in the roadway, which punctured a crank case or other area in the undercarriage of the vehicle, spilling fluids.

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Motorist Drives Into Woods Off Laurel Road Late Thursday

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A motorist drove off Laurel Road and vaulted several yards into the woods Thursday evening, causing major damage to the left side of his SUV in the process. Firefighters, police and EMTs with the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps quickly arrived on scene soon after it was reported at approximately 6:52pm. Those present at the scene said the driver of the vehicle extricated himself from the wreck before being walked to an ambulance where he was taken away with undisclosed injuries. It has not yet been determined what caused the single-car accident, which occurred in the 200-area of Laurel Road, between Sleepy Hollow Road and Thrush Lane. The car landed off the east side of the road, which runs north-south.

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Single-Car Crash on Main Street Thursday Afternoon; Minor Injuries

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A motorist suffered minor chest injuries after crashing into a tree near the intersection of Main Street and Farm Road on Thursday afternoon, officials said. A witness to the single-car accident told first responders that the woman had been traveling northbound on White Oak Shade when she advanced through the busy intersection and then veered at the last moment, crashing into an evergreen tree in front of the stately Victorian-era home at 528 Main St. The accident happened at about 12:46 p.m.

The woman suffered minor injuries from the silver SUV’s air bag, officials said. It isn’t clear why she drove off of the road, they said. Firefighters, police and EMTs with the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps quickly arrived on scene, as well as a tow truck, with police directing traffic around the crash site.