By C. J. Sosna

On Saturday, June 30, a day when the temperature climbed into the 90s, the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department (NVFD) was called out to a house fire on Torringford Road in Winsted. By the time they arrived shortly after 7 p.m., the entire roof was already in flames, and the heat was intense.

As part of their contribution to the mutual aid effort, the Norfolk crew brought the NVFD rehab trailer to the scene. Designed as an aid to firefighters, it can be configured in different ways according to the weather. For summer use, it has an air-conditioned interior, cooling chairs that can be packed with ice, mist fans and tents for shade. Cases of water, cots, tables, chairs and generators are always on board and ready for use. Many firefighters availed themselves of the trailer during the Torringford Road fire including one who suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration and had to be taken to the emergency room.

During the winter months, the trailer brings blankets, hats, gloves, dry clothing, propane units and personal heating devices to the scene of the incident and is itself heated. When needed, the trailer can transport special protective gear and a large first aid kit to fires that expose crew members on the scene to chemical hazards that standard departments are not usually equipped to handle.

The NVFD’s rehab trailer is in its 15th year of use and has proved an invaluable aid in firefighting, both in Norfolk and along the Route 44 corridor, according to Public Information Officer Jonathan Barbagallo. Given the power and intense energy of a fire, providing those on the scene with a place of respite makes the environment a little more secure.

The trailer can also serve as a mobile communications terminal and a command center. By using the trailer, Barbagallo points out, “incident commanders at a big incident can operate in a better climate, away from the scene.” Town and area departments can call for the trailer to be used in any three of its capacities—rehab, communications or command—but its primary function is firefighter rehab.

The department has two vehicles, the squad truck and the brush truck, rigged to transport the trailer, but the trailer can also be transported by a large pickup truck, and many of the volunteers’ own vehicles are strong enough to haul the trailer if necessary. In certain situations, when an incident is expected to extend over several days, the trailer will be stocked and delivered to the site and left for the local department’s use.

Stocking and tending the rehab trailer is one of the jobs that all NVFD members are trained to do that don’t require them to be on the front lines. Says Barbagallo, whose department is always ready to welcome new members, “There are so many roles a volunteer can fill that don’t require they fight fires.” If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the NVFD, contact Jon Barbagallo at Jonbarbag@gmail.com.

Photo by Jonathan Barbagallo.