Brief bio:

I’ve been a resident of Willington for 55 years, attended Willington schools, former participant in Boy Scouts, little league, and soccer. 44 years volunteering in the Willington Fire Departments.  Currently raising my family in Willington with kids having attended Center School through E.O.Smith High School.  Former selectman, Board of Finance Chairman, and School Building Committee Chairman.  Retired career deputy fire chief, current full-time fire marshal.

Detailed bio:

I have lived in Willington for 55 of my 58 years.  My family moved to Willington in 1969.  I attended Willington kindergarten in the fire station on Old Farms Road, Center School for 1st and 2nd grade, and Hall Memorial School for 3rd through 8th grade, graduating from Bolton High School in 1985.  I was a Cub Scout from the mid 70s and a Boy Scout for a year in 1981.  I played in Willington Little League, and Willington Soccer.  In 1980, I joined Explorer’s Post 13, sponsored by Willington Fire Department #1, starting my Willington fire service volunteerism, still ongoing to this day, and having encompassed nearly every job description from Explorer at WFD1 through President, Secretary, Training Officer, Lieutenant, Captain, and 4 years as Fire Chief of the Willington Hill Fire Department. 

During high school, I worked at West’s Tire Center (Where Dollar General is now) and West’s Garage, pumping gas, repairing cars, and driving the wreckers.  After high school, I attended UConn for 1 semester, working in a student job as an emergency dispatcher, before the days of 911.  After UConn, I continued working for West’s Garage until 1986, when I went to work full-time for Willington Termite and Pest Control, where I learned customer service skills and the value of having a professional network as we connected with realtors on inspections and business customers on preventing infestations across Eastern CT on a daily basis.  In 1988, I started working for the State of Connecticut at the former Mansfield State Training School (MSTS).  While I worked full time in Grounds and Transportation, I was also a part-time firefighter on the MSTS Fire Department. During this time, I was adding certifications to my fire service resume and testing for a career firefighting job with the State. 

As MSTS closed, I was transferred via layoff to UConn, where I worked in building maintenance from 1991 until 1994, when I was hired by the UConn Fire Department.  My Fire Department career took me through the ranks and allowed me to seek and succeed in many opportunities from oversight of the campus 911 center (where I had worked in 1985/86), oversight of all life safety programs and code compliance, control of emergency systems (fire alarm, sprinkler, emergency lights, fire extinguishers, etc) maintenance and capital development, supervision of installation and maintenance of physical security systems, card access, campus camera system.  I also represented the UConn Fire Department and sometimes all of Public Safety on campus wide and town/gown committees such as Environmental Impact studies, campus safety committee, SARCCC-Space Allocation, Renovation, and Construction Coordinating Committee, PRC-Project Review Committee, ECT-Environmental Compliance Team, various Spring Weekend coordinating teams, etc.  All of those roles carried across all UConn campuses and properties, over 600 buildings across the State of Connecticut.  During these 24 years at the UConn Fire Department, I also responded to many thousands of medical service calls, fires, rescues, alarms, and hazardous materials leaks/spills/incidents.  I was commanding officer over Spring Weekend mass casualty events, many fires in occupied buildings, and notably the 2017 Landscape Barn Fire, one of the largest fires on campus ever.

Upon my retirement in 2017, with 29+ years, I went to work as a part-time “temporary” employee, still at UConn.  In that role, I finished software migrations in Public Safety and assisted in various administrative projects for 11 months and then transferred to UPDC-University Planning, Design, and Construction, where I worked in Construction Engineering.  My role was a mix of Contract Compliance/Assurance, Quality Assurance and Control, site safety, and infrastructure coordination for high voltage, fire protection, sewer, storm drainage, etc.  My final large project in that role was the new UConn fire station, replacing the space I had worked in for 24 years.

Also during this time, I unexpectedly took on the role of board president………………………….

As my part-time service at UConn was coming to an end in 2022, I was hired by the Town of Glastonbury to be their full-time Fire Marshal.  I continue to participate across related industries, including consulting on fire and building code for architects and commercial building owners and marketing fire apparatus to fire departments in Southern CT and Eastern MA.

Locally, I have participated in many levels of local and regional emergency planning, chaired the board of finance, chaired the previous school building committee, served as a selectman, served on hiring committees in Willington, helped to specify and purchase multiple fire apparatus, and served on the town’s 275th anniversary committee in 2001/2002.

Since 2007, I have been raising my family in Willington with kids having attended Center School through E.O. Smith High School.  This has drawn me to multiple related tasks such as the Hall School Drama Parents Booster Club, drama set-building groups, and class trip chaperone.

Certifications/Licenses/etc:

Class A Commercial Driver’s License-CT

Emergency Medical Technician-CT

Fire Marshal-CT

Building Official-CT

Pesticide Commercial Operator-CT

OSHA 10 hour

Open Burning Official-CT

Fire Officer II-CT

Fire Service Instructor I-CT

Hazardous Materials Technician-CT

Education:

Bolton High School 1985

Charter Oak Community College A.S. 2022