Police & Fire

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting and public information session on Monday, November 30, 2015 at 6:00pm in the Academy School gymnasium. This is the second of three public information meetings to present information and hear public comment about the proposed alternatives for the Police-Fire Facilities Project. This meeting will be taped and rebroadcast by BCTV. ASL interpreters will be available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community members.

The Brattleboro Town Manager’s office announces that the Selectboard is holding 3 special meetings to present information and hear public comment about the proposed alternatives for this project. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend at least one of these meetings:

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, AT 9:00 AM, AT THE GREEN STREET SCHOOL GYM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, AT 6:00 PM, AT THE ACADEMY SCHOOL GYM (ASL interpreters will attend this meeting and BCTV will record it for later broadcast)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, AT 6:00 PM, AT THE BRATTLEBORO AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM

For Immediate Release – November 11, 2015

The investigation into the fire that caused extensive damage to four apartments at 16 – 38 Valgar St. has been determined to be suspicious in nature. In a joint effort, Investigators from the Brattleboro Fire Department, Brattleboro Police Department and the VT State Police have been working continuously since the morning of the fire to determine an origin and cause, and conducting interviews to gather information.

At this time the investigation is ongoing and the agencies are asking for anyone who may have seen anything unusual before the time of the fire or may have any information about the fire to call the Brattleboro Police Department at 802-257-7946 or the Brattleboro Police Tips Hotline at 802-251-8188. There is also up to a $5000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction by calling 1-800-32-ARSON (1-800-322-7766).

State Police Updates and Press Release:

“UPDATE #2:

The Brattleboro Police Department and the Vermont State Police continue to investigate the untimely death of Sultan Rashed. Investigation has revealed that this death is not a suicide and in fact a death with suspicious circumstances. Investigation suggests this is not a random act and does not suggest any threats to the public in general. An autopsy is scheduled for today at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and will focus on the cause and manner of death. 
 
Anyone who had contact with Sultan Rashed from 11/8/15 – 11/9/15 is asked to contact the Vermont State Police or the Brattleboro Police Department.

PRESS RELEASE

Date of Incident: November 7, 2015
Location of Incident: 16-38 Valgar St

Nature of Call: Building Fire

Time Reported: 6:06am
Time Under Control: 8:33am

Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded: 2nd alarm @ 6:09am; 3rd alarm at 6:16am; 4th alarm@ 7:00am

Type of Building: 2 ½ story multi-family
# of Apartments: 12

PRESS RELEASE

Date of Incident: 11/02/15
Location of Incident: Hinesburg Road
Nature of Call: Reported basement fire
Time Reported: 5:14pm
Time Under Control: 6:03pm
Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded: 2nd alarm transmitted @ 5:26pm

Brattleboro Fire Department, 103 Elliot Street * Brattleboro, VT 05301 * 802-254-4831 FAX: 802-257-2323

Michael Bucossi, Fire Chief
Peter Lynch, Assistant Chief

PRESS RELEASE

Date of Incident: 10/17/15
Location of Incident: 176 Canal Street

Nature of Call: Fire in attic

Time Reported: 04:40am
Time Under Control: 5:36am

The north end “mystery property” has been revealed. According to documents on the town web site, Brattleboro will be considering an option to purchase the Brattleboro Reformer’s building at 62 Black Mountain Road to renovate as a police station.

The north end option would be secured initially through March 31 with a $20,000 payment. Total cost, if the town decides to make the purchase, would be just under $750,000. Total cost with renovations would be just over $4 million.

The Brattleboro Selectboard will be discussing options for going forward with the Police and Fire facility upgrades at their regular meeting Tuesday night.

From the Police Log: 

July 20, 2015

Officer J. Hamilton

On July 17th 2015 at approximately 1300 hours Officers of the Brattleboro Police Department investigated a hit and run on a pedestrian in the area of the intersection between Elliot St., Frost St., Bridge St., Williams St. and Union St. The operator of the vehicle was described as having should-length blond hair. The vehicle was described as a green Honda Civic with a Vermont plate on the back only. Anyone with information about the suspect operator or vehicle please contact the Brattleboro Police Department at (802)257-7950.

Last night’s showers did little to ease the dry conditions in the area. The State of VT and local burn ban is still in effect until May 19 or until it is revoked or extended.

The burn ban means that there is no burning until the order is revoked or expired.

Michael Bucossi
Fire Chief
Brattleboro Fire Department
103 Elliot Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 254-4831
www.brattleborofire.org

Date of Incident: May 4, 2015
Location of Incident: Near 493 Melchen Rd

Nature of Call: Brush Fire

Time Reported: 12:54 pm
Time Under Control: 5:29 pm

Number of Alarms and Times Upgraded:
1st alarm @ 1:06 pm;
2nd alarm @ 1:10pm;
3rd alarm @ 1:18 pm

Today the weather service issued warnings about brush fires. It’s dry, windy, and and generally ideal circumstances for a brush fire. And that’s what happened.

Nearby, a brush fire at 493 Melchin Road has grown into a 4 alarm affair, with 50 acres going, according to the mutual aid folks and observers at a fire tower in Massachusetts. Brush trucks and tankers from all over the region have been called in.

The size of the fire has grown considerably. 50 acres at 3:30 p.m; 10-15 acres going closer to 2:30.

A reader in West Brattleboro writes to alert us to the recent wave of break-ins in West Brattleboro, and sent along this summary of a conversation with the Brattleboro Police sent out in a West Brattleboro Association e-mail, for details:

A $10,000 reward is now being offered in the fatal hit-and-run of Eugene Narrett, a 64 year old father who was killed Friday, December 6, 2013 around 7pm while crossing Western Avenue near Union Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. Eugene was an artist. He was showing his paintings at Gallery Walk, when his life ended in the blink of an eye. The driver who hit him was going so fast, police say Eugene was knocked right out of his shoes. He died from his injuries at the scene.

Elliot Street, Brattleboro, Feb 22, 2015

I just watched you get arrested.

The waitress noticed it first.

Oh, wow, she said, someone is getting arrested

And I saw two policemen talking to you while

one of them pointed something in your face.

With the recent large snowfalls and more in the forecast in the coming days, the Brattleboro Fire Department would like to urge all residents to check your roofs and shovel them as needed. In the past couple of weeks we have received 2+ feet of snow, the weight of inches or feet of snow on even the sturdiest roof can cause structural or leakage problems.

One of the biggest problems is when the snow melts a little and then re-freezes.  This melting and re-freezing causes ice to form on the top of the snow pack, creating even more weight.  If you do not get the heavy weight of the snow off a flat roof before the melting and freezing occurs, you could wind up having structural issues and possible collapse. Flat roofs pose the biggest threat of collapse. 

On Friday evening, February 6, 2015 at 5:27pm the Brattleboro Fire Department responded to a reported kerosene heater explosion at 27 Brattle St. The 2nd floor front apartment, in the four unit apartment building, received extensive heat and smoke damage in the 2 alarm fire. Two occupants of the building received injuries, one treated for smoke inhalation, the other for minor burns.

A joint investigation by the Brattleboro Fire and Brattleboro Police Departments over the weekend has determined that the cause of the fire to be accidental. The investigation has revealed that there is a strong possibility that the wrong type of fuel was accidentally used in the heater.

As we get our first large snow storm of the year here are some winter safety tips from the Brattleboro Fire Department;

Make sure you always have two separate exits out of your house and that are clear from snow or ice.

Be careful when shoveling snow. Over-exertion can bring on a heart attack – a major cause of death in the winter.

The National Weather Service is warning of cold temperatures for much of this week. Wind chills will be below-zero at times and could be colder than 20-degrees below zero Wednesday night into Thursday. Those temperatures have the potential to pose a danger to health and property.

Some steps to take to keep yourself, your family, your pets, and any elderly or homebound neighbors safe during cold weather:

Monitor weather reports and plan ahead.

Be a good neighbor. Check with elderly or disabled relatives, neighbors, and friends to ensure their safety.

My partner witnessed an accident on Brattleboro Road- 119 and Old Brattleboro Road this evening at twilight. If he hadn’t slowed down he would have been involved. But he saw a car driving really fast down Old Brattleboro Road and that made him cautious. Then he heard the impact and then… 

We don’t know if everyone survived the accident. One car was on it’s roof and partly up a tree. I hope it was not a terrible as it looked. 

Robyn Flatley