In Memory of
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At the time of his passing in 2017, Chris had dedicated over 28 years of his life to the fire service. He started his fire career in 1989 as an explorer at the Torringford Volunteer Fire Department, becoming a regular member of the department after turning eighteen. In 1994 he joined as a member of the Harwinton Westside Volunteer Fire Department where he served as a Lieutenant and the Assistant training officer. He volunteered as an EMT with the Harwinton Association for several years as well.
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In 1999, he was hired by the Torrington Fire Department where he served as a Firefighter, Lieutenant and then as the Deputy Chief of Operations until his passing. Chris was very active in other areas of the fire service. He held several positions within the Torrington Firefighter IAFF Local 1567 including several years as President.
He also had an extensive background in teaching. He served as an adjunct instructor for the CT State Fire Academy, Assistant Director and Instructor with the Wolcott State Fire School, Director of Training for Emergency Training Solutions, and as an instructor and subject matter expert for the NFPA in the field of alternative fueled vehicles. He instructed classes all over the country, including at FDIC, and thoroughly enjoyed his time interacting with fellow students of the fire service. Chris loved talking about firefighting.....to anyone who would listen.
Chris contributed to fire service education in other areas as well. He assisted with the planning and logistics of a study done at Yale University on both the effects Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide to Firefighters and the field testing of the Last Chance Respirator. He was a technical contributor to Fire Engineering’s, Firefighter Handbook for Firefighter I and II and was part of the team that produced its PowerPoint companion materials. He co-authored the Tactical Perspective: Fire Attack video series (Fire Engineering) and contributed to the Ventilation, Search, Command and Calling the Mayday video series. He assisted in the production of the John Norman DVD series Strategies and Tactics. He co-hosted the Fire Engineering Blog Talk Radio show “Politics and Tactics”.
The “Pep Talks” conference is a way to honor Chris’s dedication to fire service education by providing an opportunity for Connecticut firefighters, particularly those in the Northwest corner, to interact and learn from fire service experts on relevant topics to today’s firefighting community.
He also had an extensive background in teaching. He served as an adjunct instructor for the CT State Fire Academy, Assistant Director and Instructor with the Wolcott State Fire School, Director of Training for Emergency Training Solutions, and as an instructor and subject matter expert for the NFPA in the field of alternative fueled vehicles. He instructed classes all over the country, including at FDIC, and thoroughly enjoyed his time interacting with fellow students of the fire service. Chris loved talking about firefighting.....to anyone who would listen.
Chris contributed to fire service education in other areas as well. He assisted with the planning and logistics of a study done at Yale University on both the effects Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide to Firefighters and the field testing of the Last Chance Respirator. He was a technical contributor to Fire Engineering’s, Firefighter Handbook for Firefighter I and II and was part of the team that produced its PowerPoint companion materials. He co-authored the Tactical Perspective: Fire Attack video series (Fire Engineering) and contributed to the Ventilation, Search, Command and Calling the Mayday video series. He assisted in the production of the John Norman DVD series Strategies and Tactics. He co-hosted the Fire Engineering Blog Talk Radio show “Politics and Tactics”.
The “Pep Talks” conference is a way to honor Chris’s dedication to fire service education by providing an opportunity for Connecticut firefighters, particularly those in the Northwest corner, to interact and learn from fire service experts on relevant topics to today’s firefighting community.