Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol - Company History

The Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was first established in November of 1927 as a group of Cos Cob Volunteer Fire Company members felt a need for salvage and scene control at fire calls. On May 1st, 1928 the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was officially organized and held its first meeting with the election of James Tomney as the Captain - Chief Officer, John Snyder as the 1st Lieutenant - Senior Officer, Maurice Ivory as the 2nd Lieutenant, John Rooney as the Secretary, and Nicholas Bologna as the Treasurer. It was established that the fire police patrol would create the fire lines, guard buildings in which a fire had occurred, guard the property carried away from burning buildings, and to assist firemen.

The Patrol's first vehicle was a Simplex and on November 10th, 1930 the Patrol bought a used Broadway at the cost of $750. A committee was appointed to build a body specially suited for fire police patrol work.

On August 2nd, 1931 the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol was incorporated. The Patrol has progressed in the matter of equipment from the early days of three pairs of goggles and a lantern bracket to electric saws and wrecking equipment. The organizers of the patrol were conscientious and enthusiastic and through this determination, the officers and men of the patrol had advanced along the lines of salvage operations, rescue work, first aid training and traffic control. Their work and how they operated was considered a science.

In 1956, another truck committee was appointed to study the need for a new vehicle. This committee drew up specifications for a new patrol “wagon”, as they were called at the time, to house an ambulance compartment as well as salvage and rescue work equipment. This wagon was built by Adam Black body builders for fire police patrols and became the first non-red fire apparatus in the Town of Greenwich.

In 1975, the Town of Greenwich looked into replacing the 1957 patrol wagon. The Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol members on the other hand felt no need for a new vehicle and declined the offer. In the early 1980's, the town presented the idea of a new truck again. This time the patrolman felt they were due for a new apparatus. Once again, a truck committee was established to create the specifications of the new truck. The truck was a yellow 1984 Ford Saulsbury Heavy Rescue. It was bought for approximately $104,000. The company paid for $20,000 of it while the Town paid for the remainder. This vehicle became the first yellow fire apparatus in the Town of Greenwich. The yellow color was chosen primarily for safety concerns after much research by the truck committee. This truck was seen as an all purpose vehicle for the town. It was used as a back up ambulance during large incidents, a command post, as well as a rehab location.

Up until around the time of the arrival of the new truck in the 1980's, patrolmen had arresting powers. All fire police personnel were sworn in by the Town’s First Selectman to receive their respective powers. This continues to this day.

History plays an important role within the fire police patrol. Because of this, many historical aspects of the patrol have been brought back. This included the reinstatement of red helmets. They were used in previous days as well as currently to easily distinguish between fire fighters and fire patrolman at scenes. The Cos Cob Fire Patrolmen considered salvage operations an art form and had put many hours towards perfecting it. It is thought that this is one of the reasons the organization has survived to this day while other patrol companies have not. All of the other fire patrol companies not only in the town but also the state have died out. The Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol now responds to most major fires, water calls, accidents, and incidents not only within the district of Cos Cob but to all of Greenwich.

In the early 1990's, members of the fire police patrol felt a lack of membership, and looked toward youth to recruit. Because fire police no longer had arresting powers, the minimum membership age, as dictated by the by-laws of the company, were changed from 21 to 18. On March 2nd, 1994 the first 18 year old member, Brian Kelly, was sworn in. Brian moved up the ranks from patrolman quickly and distinguished himself as dedicated leader. Brian is currently the Chief of the Patrol. It has been found that youth have helped to restore the historical pride of the patrol with modern technology and equipment. Younger members are now starting to take a greater role in running the organization to carry the patrol through the levels of excellence while keeping with tradition.

Since late 2002 the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol has started to work even more closely with the Greenwich Police Department. An agreement with the Town of Greenwich, which was last amended in 1956, has allowed patrolmen with the company to act in the function of a special police officer when the need arises. This is helpful for members should they come across an incident requiring police attention when traveling around the town. An example of our working relationship with the police department was displayed on January 29th 2004 when President Bush came to town to attend a dinner at the Hyatt Hotel. Members of the patrol assisted as special officers with traffic and scene control during his attendance.

In October of 2004, after 20 years of operating with the 1984 Ford truck, the company received a new truck from the Town of Greenwich. A 2004 Pierce Heavy Rescue with an Enforcer cab is now the proud means of the company’s work. The Patrol decided not to stay with the yellow color of the previous truck and instead go back to the white color of the 1957 patrol truck. The new vehicle has also progressed in the means of technology as well. More compartment space along with a more organized layout allows us to carry more equipment and function better in the field. The truck has new features such as high intensity scene lighting and a mobile data terminal for communication and reporting. The company is very excited to have this new ability to better serve the community.

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