WALLINGFORD — Mayor Vincent Cervoni has tapped James Buck, a 30-year firefighting veteran, as the new fire chief. Buck said he will focus on improving training, recruiting firefighters from diverse backgrounds, and adapting to new technologies, including handling emergencies involving electric vehicles.
Buck, who began his career in 1994 as a Bridgeport firefighter and spent the past two years as deputy chief of fire operations in Stratford, will oversee a department with about 70 paid firefighters with an $11 million budget. There are also about 40 volunteer firefighters in the town.
Buck, a 54-year-old North Haven resident, started the Wallingford job on Aug. 29, replacing interim Fire Chief Sam Wilson.
The town has two paid firehouses — one volunteer firehouse, and one shared firehouse with both paid and volunteer firefighters.
Buck told CT Examiner on Tuesday that the department is “very progressive” when it comes to training.
“We have a training facility right on site, which is a unique opportunity that not every department has. In Wallingford, they have taken advantage of it. There has been a lot of good growth here,” he said.
Buck said the Wallingford Fire Department, which provides EMS transport with its 18 paramedic-certified firefighters, encourages staff to pursue training courses. He emphasized that these courses are crucial for becoming a well-rounded firefighter.
The courses include added training in stretching hoses, rope rescue, vehicle extrication and being proficient in confined spaces.
It’s also essential, Buck said, for management to stay updated on the latest technology and fire methods.
“The technology has absolutely accelerated the last few years and first responders have struggled to be aware of everything that’s coming out,” he said.
A prime example, he said, is electric vehicles, which have been popular in recent years on the state’s highways.
“You are dealing with lithium-ion batteries,,” Buck said. “What if there is a fire? You have to start looking at your response protocols and ask, ‘Are we going to take an offensive posture to fight this fire or are we going to take a defensive posture to fight this fire?’’’
Buck told CT Examiner it’s important to have firefighters from diverse backgrounds as well, which he witnessed firsthand while working in the Bridgeport and Stratford fire departments.
“Both of those departments had a really good and diverse mix [of people],” he said. “When you think of diversity, you shouldn’t think merely of this demographic with women and this demographic [with someone from a minority group]. I think you want to look at it as people from different backgrounds [urban, suburban and rural] that leads to the diversity of thought, and that makes the department better.”
Buck declined to say how many women and minorities are on Wallingford’s current roster.
One area of division within the town has been between labor and management and the negotiating process. Cervoni believes Buck can handle the situation well for both sides.
“He’s aware of that and is going to work toward minimizing the tension,” Cervoni said on Thursday. “There is always going to be a little pushback between labor and management, as there should be an appropriate level of pushback. We can get back to good labor relations between the management and the fire union.”
Firefighters are working under a three-year contract that expires in January 2025.
Buck said he’s very proud to be an International Association of Firefighters fire ground safety and survival instructor. He took the course after a Bridgeport firefighter and fire lieutenant died in 2010 during a structure blaze.
“I knew both of them well,” he said. “In the aftermath of that, it strikes a department in a lot of ways and it really hurts, but we continue to push on and become better.”
One way the Bridgeport Fire Department got better, Buck said, was getting a dedicated safety officer, whose job it was to be at every structure fire in that city. That individual’s job was to look “for hazards, evaluate when the firefighters are going in and out, and to continue to monitor how long firefighters have been inside a structure fire because you are going to need to rotate your crews and keep them fresh.”
The 2010 tragedy also led to more intense training in fire ground safety and survival.
“It starts with recognizing you are in trouble and having that recognition to teach our members what to do next,” he said.
Emergencies could range from a low-air situation to being trapped or entangled in wires.
“Resolving those issues requires training,” Buck said.
Buck said Wallingford already has some of those methods in place, but that they could be reviewed, modified and enhanced.
Buck, who originally sought a career in finance, said firefighting is a passion for many that are in the field.
“For me, personally, this is what I love to do. I found this to be much more rewarding than any other field that I could have pursued,” he said. “When you love something, you are really not working at it. … Becoming part of a municipal department is truly a great opportunity. We want people that don’t typically consider this career to consider it because, again, the best fire station is filled with employees from different backgrounds.”
Buck was one of three applicants who went through the interview process, which included fielding questions from Cervoni, the Human Resources Department, and fire chiefs from three other communities within the state.
Cervoni said Buck stood out to him because, “He has a long-standing career working through the ranks in Bridgeport and then moving over to deputy chief in Stratford. He is eminently qualified. I also liked that he projected an awareness of our department. He came in without blinders and the whole experience of working with him through the hiring process was very encouraging to me.”