Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz to retire after 44 years in emergency situation services – New Haven Register

Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz

Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz

Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz

Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz

SEYMOUR– When the clock strikes midnight March 29, Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz will extinguish a career in emergency services that has actually covered more than 4 decades.

Wetowitz, 63, submitted his letter of resignation this week to First Selectman Kurt Miller.

“I have put in over 44 years of both volunteer and paid emergency situation service with several departments in Seymour,” stated Wetowitz. “I have had a fulfilled career and experience in my past civil service.”

While Wetowitz prepares to hang up his full-time fire marshal hat that he’s used for nearly 19 years, he has actually asked for that Miller appoint him a volunteer deputy fire marshal. The unremunerated position would make it possible for Wetowitz to preserve his accreditation, while helping assist the office with employee changes, finish some jobs, total his strategy of a regional fire examination team and continue fire prevention activities and limited inspections.

Miller stated Wetowitz’s demand to remain active after retirement speaks volumes.

“I believe it reveals how dedicated he is to this neighborhood,” said Miller. “He wants to make sure the workplace continues to operate at a high level and his deal to remain on and help in a volunteer capacity will definitely allow that to continue.”

Miller said Wetowitz has been “a property” to the town.

“He has done a great task in working to move the workplace forward over the previous ten years,” Miller stated. “The experience he brought from the private sector coupled with the experience he has as a long time volunteer fireman, were the ideal mix. He has committed time to promoting workplace security and training to make our buildings as safe as they possibly can be.”

Wetowitz got involved in emergency service in 1974 when he signed up with the town’s volunteer ambulance corps. He quickly learned assisting people was his niche, and signed up with Great Hill Hose pipe Fire Co., became a supernumerary law enforcement officer and trained to be a volunteer fire inspector, which ultimately caused him becoming fire marshal.

“I enjoyed serving the residents of Seymour so much and reacting to calls,” he said.

For Wetowitz, the most essential part of the task has actually been fire code enforcement, which he believes really conserves lives. He recalled a devastating fire in 2011 on Main Street that taken in a house structure downtown, yet all the residents escaped safely.

The fire revived memories for Wetowitz as he and his spouse of 35 years resided in the apartment on the top floor– where the cooking fire started– for a time after they got married and it was the specific place where he initially proposed to his bride.

“You wonder if you recognized all prospective code violations the last time it was inspected,” Wetowitz said. “You hoped and hoped while responding that everybody got out. And when you get here and discover out that all occupants got out, you are so relieved.”

In between those many structure evaluations and fire examinations, Wetowitz has actually always made time to promote fire security. From working with town children on security posters and offering the winner a ride in a firetruck to dispersing totally free smoke detectors to locals and stressing the importance of having wells tested for contaminants, Wetowitz has actually devoted his life to helping others.

During retirement, he plans to get active again with Great Hill Hose pipe and potentially pursue a run for the Board of Financing.

“I still enjoy helping people,” he added. “It is a great thrill to know I have actually made a difference in somebody’s life.”

Miller prepares to post the task and interview candidates over the next couple of weeks.