The volunteer record
The loudest criticism reduces Norwich's volunteers to alleged failures. The City's own directories and meeting minutes show the other record: calls answered, joint responses, training, equipment work, storm staffing, rescue capability and local leadership.
What the City's own record shows
Meeting minutes repeatedly document automatic aid, mutual aid, shared incidents, meetings with City officials, dispatch coordination, training and equipment planning. That is not a portrait of five organizations refusing all oversight or operating in isolation.
Volunteer companies repeatedly assisted NFD and one another.
City minutes record Firefighter, EMT, EMR and CPR work.
Storm staffing, rescue teams, inspections and equipment testing appear in the record.
The companies and their leaders
Leadership titles below come from the City's current public directory. Public minutes sometimes use different titles as leadership changes or another officer attends; every profile will be expanded as certifications and service histories are documented.
Acting Chief Bill Daley • Assistant Chief Rich Huntley
City minutes recorded 80 calls in May 2025, including six assists to NFD and two responses to neighboring towns. They also recorded two Firefighter I candidates, an EMT registry candidate, and later joint structure-fire responses with Yantic, NFD and the Mohegan Tribe.
Official City directoryChief Aaron Westervelt • Deputy Chief Peter Clark
February 2026 City minutes recorded completion of annual CPR training, three members enrolled in Firefighter I and another member simultaneously enrolled in EMT training.
Official City directoryChief Scott Eggert • Deputy Chief Les Shull
City minutes recorded joint and mutual-aid work, equipment planning, an EMR candidate awaiting certification, three members in EMT training, and plans to host an EMT class at the Occum station.
Official City directoryChief Timothy Jencks
February 2026 City minutes recorded 379 member-hours during a major snowstorm, a 14-member station crew, assistance to American Ambulance, and a dive-team search-and-rescue response with Yantic. Earlier minutes documented 79 monthly calls, continuing training and equipment testing.
Official City directoryChief Robert Allen • Assistant Chief Paul O’Connell
City minutes recorded 56 runs in one 2025 month, new EMT and Firefighter II students, work with dispatch on automatic-aid assignments, and later 58 monthly calls, new members and rescue-tool inspection and replacement planning.
Official City directoryWhat this proves—and what it does not
These records establish active service, training, mutual aid, joint operations and named leadership. They do not, by themselves, establish every individual certification claimed or disputed in public statements. Those qualifications belong here once supported by certificates, official rosters or attributable résumés.
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