Police & Fire

Police and Fire section

Ice Condition at the Retreat Meadows

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

The Brattleboro Fire Department is advising you to stay off the ice on the Retreat Meadows for the Last Night Celebration and Fireworks display on Saturday, December 31, 2022.

The ice thickness at the Retreat Meadows on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, ranged between 3 to 4 inches with extremely thin ice along the edges and westerly portion of the Meadows. The National Weather Service of Albany has advised that daytime temperatures starting Thursday will be in the mid-forties for the next several days and at night the temperature is going to stay above freezing.

Brattleboro Fire Department Warns Incoming Potential of Inclement Weather

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

The weather forecast for Thursday night into Saturday morning is for our area to potentially receive 2-3 inches of rain along with southwest winds from 20-30 miles per hour(mph) and gusts 60 to 70 mph. At the conclusion of this weather event, temperatures are expected to drop into the low teens.

The Brattleboro Fire Department and Department of Public Works are monitoring the weather closely and preparing for fallen trees, downed wires, extended power outages, streams to rise out of their banks, and icing on roadways.

Brattleboro EMS Feasibility Report Available

by cgrotke | Police & Fire

The AP Triton EMS Feasibility Report is available:

https://www.brattleboro.org/vertical/Sites/%7BFABA8FB3-EBD9-4E2C-91F9-C74DE6CECDFD%7D/uploads/Brattleboro_FD_EMS_Study_(FINAL).pdf

As expected it presents four options for possible EMS services going forth:

McNeill’s Burns; 1 Died

by annikee | Police & Fire

McNeill’s Brewery, local gathering place and pub, was lost to a fire last night during Gallery Walk. One person, not yet identified, died in the blaze which apparently started in the upstairs apartment at 90 Elliot St.

The bar and brewery had been closed since the Covid outbreak.
I have no words, just sadness. RIP

Photos are attached, taken by Deb Valois.

Oct 18 Select Board Meeting & Oct 19 Public Forum on EMS

by RobertOeser | Police & Fire

This study has been described a way to assess the feasibility of a Fire/EMS service within the
Brattleboro Fire Department. It might be noted that $25k of the money set aside for this study was approved as part of the Town Budget on a vote of 100-6 (5 abstentions) by members at a March 19, 2022 Representative Town Meeting. At that time the line item for the appropriation was for a ”strategic plan” to help with “community expectations, concerns, positive feedback, help identifying critical issues, service gaps as well as give … guiding values and principles on how we move forward ….” 2021-2022 Annual Report, p. 48

There was no mention of Fire/EMS at that time.

Brattleboro August 2022 EMS Update

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

Per the request of the Brattleboro Selectboard, I am to provide a monthly EMS update relative to the operations and any pertinent data collected. The last update was provided on July 19, 2022. This update is representative of that date till the date written on August 9, 2022.

Since July 1, 2022, the Brattleboro Fire Department (BFD) has responded to 313 EMS calls and 132 fire- related emergencies. On August 2, 2022, the BFD answered an astonishing 28 calls for service. 21 of those emergencies were EMS calls and 2 of the 28 were working fires in the Town of Hinsdale NH. To this date, no mutual aid has been requested into the Town of Brattleboro by the BFD.

State Police Press Release(s) on West Brattleboro Shooting

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont (Wednesday, July 20, 2022) — The Vermont State Police is continuing its investigation early Wednesday morning into the fatal police shooting of the person of interest in the disappearance and death of a missing Massachusetts woman, 23-year-old Mary Anderson.

Following notification of next of kin, the state police is able to release the preliminary identification of the deceased man: Matthew Davis, 34, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. His body will be transported to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to confirm the cause and manner of his death.

The fatal shooting occurred in a wooded area between Bonnyvale Road and South Street southwest of Western Avenue in West Brattleboro.

Brattleboro Police Department Budget

by rick | Police & Fire

Tuesday’s Select Board meeting and an article in today’s Brattleboro Reformer brought to the surface a major issue with crime, especially in the downtown area. Various Select Board members chimed in both in the meeting and in the press. It rather hurt to see a friend of mine with his picture on the front page this morning given the circumstances.

Tim Wessel is quoted in the Reformer as saying:
“I live downtown and I have to say there’s an increase in the feeling of lawlessness occurring,” he said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “Whether it’s flower pots being overturned, business windows being smashed, unlocked cars being rifled through, or loud cars speeding recklessly through family neighborhoods, a lot of folks have been reaching out to me to say that it feels a little more like the Wild West in Brattleboro, and I agree.”

But, little known to many, actually including some Select Board members, Chief Hardy was a victim of the rapid shift away from Rescue Inc as well and she had no part in that decision that I am aware of.

Brattleboro Police Captain Mark Carignan Retires

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

From: Town Manager’s Office
Captain Mark Carignan has retired from the Town of Brattleboro Police Department after twenty years. Mark was hired as an Officer in 2002, he became a Detective in 2005, Sergeant in 2008, and Captain since 2014. We sincerely thank him for his years of service to the town.

Pushback on Rescue, Inc Decision

by cgrotke | Police & Fire

A few items have come our way that indicate some pushback on the recent Town decisions regarding Rescue, Inc.

Anne Latchis has sent this out:

I’m writing to ask you to please write or call our town select-board members to ask them bring the ‘Town Manager’s decision to no longer contract with Rescue, Inc.’ to a TOWN VOTE . Contact info is listed below.

Brattleboro Fire Department to Transition to Joint Fire/EMS Services

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

On March 25th, 2022, Chief Drew Hazelton of Rescue Inc. informed the Selectboard and Town Manager that Rescue Inc. would no longer be providing emergency medical services (EMS) for the Town of Brattleboro as of July 1st, 2022. The Town thanks the dedicated members of Rescue Inc. for their many years of service in our town. Their excellent help and dedication to the community have been appreciated. We know that they will continue to provide that high level of service to their remaining customers in our surrounding municipalities.

After careful consideration of various options, The Town will be shifting from a private provider to a joint Fire/EMS service, offering patient care from the scene to the hospital with transport service. This Municipal Fire/EMS model is the most efficient and effective standard practice for the rapid delivery of medical care. It is currently being utilized in a highly successful manner by 5 of the 6 Vermont municipalities larger than Brattleboro and our neighbor in Keene, NH.

Norma Hardy to Become Brattleboro Police Chief on July 28 

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire
norma hardy

Norma Hardy will become Brattleboro’s next Police Chief on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. 

Hardy had a distinguished 26-year career with the Police Department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. After 10 years of service as a Police Officer serving at a variety of Port Authority facilities, she was promoted to Construction Sergeant at the World Trade Center site in 2002, to Executive Officer at the World Trade Center site in 2006, to Police Captain and commanding officer at the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels in 2008, to Police Inspector and Northern Zone Commander in 2011, and to Chief of Port Authority Bridges, Tunnels, and New Jersey Airports in 2013.

She received numerous internal commendations and external awards during her career with the Port Authority, including the 2014 Officer of the Year Award from the International Association of Women Police and the 2016 Trailblazer Award from the National Organization of Black Women in Law Enforcement. Hardy attended the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York and also has completed advanced training in law enforcement leadership, personnel and finance administration, security assessment, and emergency response management. 

Brattleboro Town Manager Press Release – Bucossi and Howard

by Not Signed In | Police & Fire

Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi has announced his retirement, effective April 1, 2021. Bucossi has served the community in the Brattleboro Fire Department (BFD) for literally his entire adult life. He became a call firefighter in 1975 during his senior year at BUHS and became a full-time firefighter two years later. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1984, to Captain in 1985, and to Assistant Chief in 2000. He became Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator in July of 2007 upon the retirement of Fire Chief / EMC Chief David Emery. 

During his 43-year career full-time with BFD, Bucossi provided leadership at countless incidents. At two of the most memorable and significant, he was the Incident Commander at the Wilder Block fire on December 4, 2004, and at the Brooks House block fire on April 17, 2011. He also was the Operations Officer (second in command under then Town Manager Barbara Sondag) during the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene on August 28, 2011.