State marshals served an eviction order, forcing the Taftville Fire Company to leave its city-owned firehouse as Norwich moved to stake control of city-owned apparatus

By Sean Krofssik
Hartford Courant

TAFTVILLE, Conn. — The Taftville Fire Company has been evicted and is out of service after serving their community since 1917, it said.

The volunteer fire company said that the Taftville Fire Company has vacated the building and now Norwich Engine 3 is taken over.

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“We are currently out of service after 109 years. Chief Tim Jencks was served an eviction notice around 10 a.m. by state marshals. All property owned by the Taftville Fire Company #2 has been removed and all that remains is city-owned equipment. We have complied with the eviction notice and currently Norwich Engine-3 is parked outside the station providing service,” the service’s Friday morning social media post stated. “On behalf of the officers and members of the company we are so grateful for all of the support we have received, not only over the years but the past few months. It has not gone unnoticed! ‘Til next time……….. Taftville Fire Company #2 is off the air.”

The city side is detailed in documents filed in state Superior Court.

A temporary injunction request seeking building access was filed on behalf of the city of Norwich and Fire Chief Samuel Wilson, in Samuel Wilson vs. Taftville Fire Company No. 2 Incorporated.

“The Defendant previously operated from the Taftville premises pursuant to the powers conveyed by the Norwich Charter,” Wilson stated in the injunction affidavit. “That arrangement has been terminated due to operation deficiencies, safety concerns and noncompliance with city directives.”

The affidavit cites three alleged incidents involving the Taftville Volunteer Fire Company in May to back its case.

“On May 2, 2026, Taftville stated that they were in route to a call but were at the premises at the time they were allegedly in route.”

“On May 4, 2026, Taftville was unable to respond to two separate incidents due to lack of personnel.”

“On May 28, 2026, Taftville failed to respond to two separate fire alarms at Backus Hospital,” according to the affidavit.

According to a June 2 affidavit, the fire company previously refused to vacate the 134 Providence Street firehouse and allow Norwich officials to “retrieve city-owned equipment and operate from the Taftville premises.”

City-owned equipment is mentioned in the affidavit, including a trailer and five trucks.

Lawyers representing Norwich filed an application for an Ex Parte Injunction seeking access to the building and equipment on Wednesday, June 3 through the Superior Court of New London.

“( Norwich ) has lawfully terminated its agreement with Taftville due to operational deficiencies, safety concerns and non-compliance with City directives,” according to the injunction document.

The injunction document added that, “Taftville’s refusal to vacate the Taftville Firehouse and allow entry obstructs the City’s ability to provide fire protection, creates operational and liability risks, and prevents the City from exercising control over its own property.”

In a joint statement from the Taftville, Laurel Hill, Occum, and Yantic volunteer companies, fire company chiefs said that the closure will add costs to Norwich taxpayers.

“Today, the City of Norwich, led by City Manager John Salomone and Fire Chief Samuel Wilson, closed the doors of the Taftville Fire Company after it had served the community for more than 109 years, adding further unnecessary costs to Norwich taxpayers as they work to eliminate volunteers across the city for not agreeing to Consolidated Command,” the statement issued by the four volunteer fire companies said.

According to the statement, earlier on Friday, before the order was served, Salomone asked why Jencks was vacating the station. Jencks also received the same phone call asking why the Taftville station was being vacated.

“Meanwhile, shortly after these conversations, the City’s attorney provided the volunteer department’s legal counsel with an agreement to sign—only after being asked about the conversations mentioned above—that would allow them to stay only if they signed. Like Yantic’s closure, the agreement was sent to the volunteers’ legal counsel with less than one hour for Taftville to review it with its members before they would be evicted,” according to the joint statement.

Taftville is claiming that Wilson attested to his lawful “termination” of Taftville in the city’s injunction filings, but that “no such termination notice was ever given to Taftville prior to service of the City’s lawsuit alleging the same,” the statement added.

The statement added that on Thursday Laurel Hill Volunteer Fire Company was not dispatched to a call in their own district. At about 1:30 p.m., the Norwich Fire Department was dispatched to 80 Crouch Avenue, but Laurel Hill said they were not alerted.

“When Norwich dispatch was called to inquire why Laurel Hill wasn’t dispatched, Laurel Hill Chief Aaron Westervelt was told that the CAD computer dispatch system had been down for over 30 minutes,” according to the chief’s joint statement. “What was unknown at the time was that Chief Wilson [allegedly] had already implemented another CAD system change … that day, which now automatically sends the nearest paid unit to a call. He did not tell anyone about it. At 3:07 p.m., after the incident, he sent an email pointing out the change, which had never been discussed with any volunteer department.”

The joint statement added that the “Norwich community has already spoken loudly on this issue.”

“But instead, these Norwich leaders are ignoring them and forcing even more qualified, experienced firefighters out of work at a massive cost to Norwich taxpayers. Additionally, their questionable actions to date have been far from honest and transparent,” the joint statement stated. “We ask the question again: if the City of Norwich leaders pushing for Consolidated Command are so confident they have the public’s best interests in mind, then why not put it to a vote and let the public decide?”

In February, Yantic Volunteer Fire Department was suspended after 178 years after failing to agree to the contract within a time limit set by Salomone.

There has been mediation talks between Norwich and the Yantic Volunteer Fire Department, which were suspended last month because of “insufficient progress” according to a statement from Norwich’s four volunteer fire companies last month.

Salomone said in a statement from last month regarding the mediation suspension that the city is still willing to negotiate in good faith with the Yantic Fire Department to reach a “collaborative resolution.”

“Our priority remains clear: an agreement that puts the safety of residents and firefighters first,” city officials wrote. “That’s why the city has offered a straightforward contract that allows all departments to continue operating, provided they meet widely recognized national safety standards. Unfortunately, our volunteer departments have rejected this contract, which to date has necessitated the suspension of one department,” Salomone said last month.

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