A Day in the Life of a Tolland Firefighter

To get an idea of how Tolland's six public safety officers spend each day, Tolland Patch shadowed first responders Tuesday at Station 240 on Route 195.

Wow, what a workout! The public safety officers, who serve as both firefighters and EMTs, staff the town's four fire stations and are maintaining the town's firetrucks, ambulances and other vehicles on a daily basis, completing rigorous training, responding to calls and, every once in a while, teaching a Patch editor what it's like to keep up with Tolland's first responders.

It was a relatively quiet day on Tuesday with only a few calls, but be sure to look for the footage of trees against wires on Bald Hill Road. Firefighters responded as a precaution against a possible fire, to block the road and to help direct traffic before CL&P arrived.

The public safety officers also work with the public safety director, assistant public safety director and the volunteers of the Tolland Fire Department.

Check out the video above to hear Public Safety Officer Steve Pasek explain the ins and outs of the job.

Editor's Note: Thank you to the Tolland Fire Department for the photo of the tractor trailer accident on I-84, and a huge thank you to Dennis Carlson, Steve Pasek and Ben Roper for helping with my "training."

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