New Canaan Volunteer firefighter joins pro ranks
Fires are fought before a spark has ignited.
As Richard William Garbus, of Wilton, becomes a professional firefighter, he not only anticipates donning the nearly 60 pounds of basic firefighter gear to rush across town to fight a blaze, he sees the importance of helping prevent a conflagration from threatening life and property in the first place.
As a volunteer firefighter with New Canaan Fire Company No. 1 since 2013, Garbus has already responded to emergency calls, taught fire prevention to the young, given smoke detectors to the elderly, answered carbon monoxide calls, even rescued animals in jeopardy.
He ranked in the top 10 of 300 applicants that took the Connecticut Firefighter Testing Consortium Test and Physical Ability Test conducted by the Connecticut Fire Academy.
Training
Scheduled to begin his employment with the New Canaan Fire Department on Aug. 26, Garbus will spend his first 15 weeks training at the Connecticut Fire Academy in Windsor Locks, Conn., before returning to his fulltime position in New Canaan. This is in addition to the training he already has.
“Will has been very active at the firehouse for the last few years and has participated in various levels of training. He will be a great addition to the department,” New Canaan Fire Chief Jack Hennessey said.
Training on what to do at the crucial time, Garbus took two 180hour training programs in 2016 and 2017, passed an EMT certification program and learned to drive a fire truck. He has been a member of the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps since November 2018, but will be resigning before he attends the academy.
“Every year I tried to take another course,” he said. “We get a ton of training.”
Garbus grew up in Wilton and his desire to be a firefighter was nurtured by retired Cat. Karl Dolnier of the Wilton Fire Department, whom he met when he was working at the Village Market.
A lot of what he learned came from fellow firefighters.
“If I wanted to get some extra training from career firefighters, they were always willing to help any volunteers that want extra help,” Garbus said.
In response, Garbus has helped train other volunteers.
“Just sharing any knowledge, any of my past experiences,” he said.