www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 52
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Town firefighters train for cold water rescues By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Donning wetsuits and fluorescent flotation devices, firefighters practiced rescuing people trapped in icy water last week. “We’re reviewing our skills to perform an operation in case we had to in an actual scenario,” said Kensington Fire-Rescue Chief Jeff Pajor. All four of the town’s volunteer departments – South Kensington, East Berlin and Berlin – engaged in the Monday, Feb. 4 training at Paper Goods Pond and Silver Lake. Utilizing hooks to pull chunks of ice out of their way and sleds attached to ropes, crews worked to simulate rescuing someone who had fallen through ice. “Once you’re in cold water … you have a very limited amount of survival time,” Pajor said. He urged residents not to go on ice unless it has
been tested by town staff and deemed safe. “The best thing is to treat all ice as thin ice.” Local crews responded to an incident on Route 9 on Jan. 25, when a vehicle left the roadway and rolled over into one of the clay ponds just past the Christian Lane on-ramp. While the occupant of the vehicle had been removed by the time firefighters arrived, they utilized some of their equipment in searching for any additional passengers. Pajor said it’s important that the departments hold training yearly, since they don’t often engage in such rescues. In last month’s incident, the ice was fairly thin and no boats were needed. “One of the problems with cold water rescue … is it’s a perishable skill — we don’t do it that much,” Pajor said. “It’s just a refresher training that we do.”
Firefighters from Kensington and Berlin remove an ice section for their cold water training on Monday night, Feb. 4. | Ron Paris, Special to the Record-Journal
Community foundation fund promotes ‘grassroots giving’ NEW BRITAIN — Thanks to dozens of new donors, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain has increased the size of its annual Catalyst Fund grant.
The Catalyst Fund grew to 68 members last year, almost half new. As a result the annual grant for one non-profit’s project will be $12,500, instead of $10,000. “We had tremendous growth last year, which we’re excited
about,” said foundation President David Obedzinski. The foundation serves New Britain, Berlin, Plainville and Southington. The Catalyst Fund raises money through the $250 memberships purchased by local indi-
viduals and businesses. Each can vote on which issue and project the fund should address. Joeline Wruck, the foundation’s director of community Initiatives and program services, said for a relatively
small donation, one can play a part in a program which can make a big difference. “For us it’s kind of a window for the community to see what the community foundaSee Fund, A13
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