Police & Fire

With the recent large snowfalls and more in the forecast in the coming days, the Brattleboro Fire Department would like to urge all residents to check your roofs and shovel them as needed. In the past couple of weeks we have received 2+ feet of snow, the weight of inches or feet of snow on even the sturdiest roof can cause structural or leakage problems.

One of the biggest problems is when the snow melts a little and then re-freezes.  This melting and re-freezing causes ice to form on the top of the snow pack, creating even more weight.  If you do not get the heavy weight of the snow off a flat roof before the melting and freezing occurs, you could wind up having structural issues and possible collapse. Flat roofs pose the biggest threat of collapse. 

On Friday evening, February 6, 2015 at 5:27pm the Brattleboro Fire Department responded to a reported kerosene heater explosion at 27 Brattle St. The 2nd floor front apartment, in the four unit apartment building, received extensive heat and smoke damage in the 2 alarm fire. Two occupants of the building received injuries, one treated for smoke inhalation, the other for minor burns.

A joint investigation by the Brattleboro Fire and Brattleboro Police Departments over the weekend has determined that the cause of the fire to be accidental. The investigation has revealed that there is a strong possibility that the wrong type of fuel was accidentally used in the heater.

As we get our first large snow storm of the year here are some winter safety tips from the Brattleboro Fire Department;

Make sure you always have two separate exits out of your house and that are clear from snow or ice.

Be careful when shoveling snow. Over-exertion can bring on a heart attack – a major cause of death in the winter.

The National Weather Service is warning of cold temperatures for much of this week. Wind chills will be below-zero at times and could be colder than 20-degrees below zero Wednesday night into Thursday. Those temperatures have the potential to pose a danger to health and property.

Some steps to take to keep yourself, your family, your pets, and any elderly or homebound neighbors safe during cold weather:

Monitor weather reports and plan ahead.

Be a good neighbor. Check with elderly or disabled relatives, neighbors, and friends to ensure their safety.

My partner witnessed an accident on Brattleboro Road- 119 and Old Brattleboro Road this evening at twilight. If he hadn’t slowed down he would have been involved. But he saw a car driving really fast down Old Brattleboro Road and that made him cautious. Then he heard the impact and then… 

We don’t know if everyone survived the accident. One car was on it’s roof and partly up a tree. I hope it was not a terrible as it looked. 

Robyn Flatley

December 4, 2014 For most of us, the holiday season represents a time for family festivities and good cheer. What few of us consider is that the holiday season is a time when there is an increased risk of home fires. Many households engage in holiday activities that serve as some of the leading causes of home fires, including cooking. Christmas trees, candle usage and holiday decorations also significantly contribute to the seasonal causes of home fires. Add to that the hectic nature of the holidays, when people are trying to accomplish multiple tasks and the chance for home fires grows even more.

Brattleboro Police and BS&L report a robbery at the bank this afternoon.

Brattleboro Police Captain Mark Carignan tweeted “Robbery at downtown Brattleboro bank. One suspect in custody. No other suspects at this time. No injuries reported. Press rlse later today.”

Over the past five days the Brattleboro Fire Department has responded to two (2) fires that have been caused by the improper disposal of wood ashes.

As we move into the heating season, the use of wood stoves, fire places and pellet stoves will be on the increase. The Brattleboro Fire Department would like to remind all residents that even though wood ashes may seem to be cooled, it is common that they retain enough heat to ignite other combustible materials for several days. Residents are asked to review and follow these easy guidelines;

Dispose of wood ashes in a metal container that can be tightly closed, douse with water, place the closed container outside your home away from combustible materials and leave in the container for several days before disposing of them.

The Brattleboro Fire Department would like to remind residents that when you turn back your clocks this Saturday night, Nov. 2, you should also change the batteries in all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

According to the department, 83% of all fire deaths occur in the home. The majority of those occur at night when people were asleep in homes without working smoke alarms.

To the Citizens of Brattleboro,

I have been approached numerous times and asked about my philosophy on policing and the direction I will lead the Department. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thoughts on policing and the role of the Brattleboro Police Department within this community.

I am a very strong advocate of community involved policing. This concept is not new, these are not my original ideas, and most importantly it’s certainly not a list of activities which you go down and check off the boxes as completed. It is a value system which permeates the department.

The Brattleboro Police-Fire Facilities Building Committee will meet on Thursday, October 16, 2014, at 4:00pm in the Hanna Cosman meeting room at the Municipal Center.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100

Working smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a fire. That’s the message behind this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives:  Test Yours Every Month!”

Along with fire departments and safety advocates nationwide, the Brattleboro Fire Department is joining forces with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 5-11, to remind local residents about the importance of having working smoke alarms in the home and testing them monthly.

The Brattleboro Firefighters Benefit Association is holding a “Firefighters for Fitness 5K Trail Run/Walk” fund raiser on Saturday, October 18, 2014 at 10:00am. The race will start and end at the Harris Hill Ski Jump on Cedar Street in Brattleboro. Registration on race day is from 8:00-9:30 am for $20.00 per person. Pre-Race registration is available at a discount by going online to: www.brattleborofire.org We also have a Facebook Event page called “Firefighters for Fitness 5k Trail run”

Back in January I posted a question if anyone knew why Cathy Barrows was no longer the Animal Control Officer. () No one knew. No one in the police station was talking – except for saying that we didn’t currently have an Animal Control Officer. Last week, however, I was pleased to hear that she is back, and even more happy to see Cathy on patrol.

I still have no idea what happened and maybe it doesn’t matter, except to Cathy. But the coincidence is a bit too obvious to ignore. She was back behind the wheel at pretty much the same time we hired a new Police Chief.

August 28, 2014

“On 8/27/14 at approximately 1702 hours, Vermont State Police reported to the Brattleboro Police that they came upon a motor vehicle versus bicyclist crash on Western Avenue near Garfield Drive. Brattleboro Police responded as well as Brattleboro Fire and Rescue Inc .

It was determined that Joseph J Persio, 27, of Cheshire, CT was traveling east bound on Western Ave. He came upon a bicyclist also headed in the same direction. As Persio was passing the cyclist, Judith Malloy, 69, of Brattleboro, VT, she collided with his car. Malloy was transported to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. This incident remains under investigation.”

Anyone who thinks race does not skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention, Sen. Rand Paul writes for TIME, amid violence in Ferguson, Mo. over the police shooting death of Michael Brown

The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown is an awful tragedy that continues to send shockwaves through the community of Ferguson, Missouri and across the nation.

If I had been told to get out of the street as a teenager, there would have been a distinct possibility that I might have smarted off. But, I wouldn’t have expected to be shot.

“What are the top ten things people do while driving that gets them pulled over?”

1) Speeding
2) Uninspected vehicles
3) Running stop signs
4) Defective equipment (headlight or taillight out, loud exhaust)
5) Swerving around (suspicion of DUI)

The Brattleboro fire department urges all residents to be safe this Fourth of July.

In Vermont All Fireworks (not including sparklers and other novelty smoke devices) are illegal except for permitted, supervised public fireworks displays. Fireworks all too often result in serious burns, hearing loss and other injuries due to miss-use. Even sparklers, which are considered by many to be harmless, can reach, 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns.

In recognition of the fact that everyone is a legitimate stakeholder when it comes to public safety, a committee of citizens is being formed to participate in candidate interviews as one step in the overall process of hiring the next police chief. The Town Manager’s Office will be accepting letters of interest from motivated members of the public for participation in the Police Chief Search – Community Committee.

After nearly 28 years of dedicated service to the community of Brattleboro, Police Chief Gene Wrinn has announced his intention to retire from the department effective June 27th. Chief Wrinn was hired by the department in 1986 and quickly rose through the ranks. He was appointed to the position of Sergeant in 1989, promoted to the rank of Captain in 2002, and ultimately he accepted an appointment to the position of Chief of Police in 2008.

Chief Wrinn has had a distinguished career with the Brattleboro Police Department, receiving recognition for his work rebuilding positive relations with the community. Chief Wrinn instituted a program to enhance public safety in the downtown by requiring patrol officers to perform foot patrols as a regular part of their workday.