MERIDEN, Conn. — After volunteer firefighters said they received notice Monday that the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department was being eliminated, city officials said Wednesday that no such decision has been made.
“I was crushed but understood that there were issues happening and I think the biggest problem was that there was no transparency of how can we fix this problem,” Jim Cournoyer, South Meriden volunteer firefighter admin support, said.
Cournoyer has served 41 years with the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department and the station itself has been around for more than 100 years.
Volunteer firefighters like Hal Kevorkian, captain of administration, said a lot of great firefighters got their start there.
“Many people who staffed the department went on to do great things” Kevorkian said. “A year ago there were three chief officers of the Meriden Fire Department who were former members, good-standing of the South Meriden Volunteer Fire Department.
However, at Wednesday's public safety meeting, city officials said they were unaware of this decision and were just as confused.
“There appears to be some miscommunication and its still pretty early on and I don’t know exactly where that miscommunication happened but no decision has been made to eliminate the volunteer fire department,” Yvette Cortez, Meriden public safety chair, said.
The potential removal of Station 6 is concerning for community members.
“This department has been a staple in our community and a valuable asset for South Meriden and it’s such a shame that their existence may no longer be,” Holly Willis of Meriden said.
Kaye Paddyfote is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kpaddyfote@fox61.com. Follow her on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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