By Matt Apuzzo, The Associated Press
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) -- The three remaining Connecticut towns without homeland security gear are set to receive it soon, a milestone that took millions of dollars and more than two and a half years to reach.
And while more than $10 million dollars in equipment is still being ordered under last year’s federal grant, state officials are already preparing a spending plan for the $32 million Connecticut will receive this year.
With that process underway, The Associated Press reviewed four years’ worth of federal equipment grants. The resulting database showed that while some gear has been slow to arrive and many towns are not fully outfitted, even the smallest Connecticut towns have received gas masks, protective equipment and detection instruments.
That seems to rebut the chorus of municipal leaders and rescue workers who suggest the state has overlooked or underfunded their towns. But the data raise questions about how well the state communicates its plans to local officials.
And though Connecticut has made it a priority to get equipment to every town, some question the logic of a plan that put $10,000 worth of hazardous materials gear in the hands of volunteer fire departments such as Franklin (population 1,800) before big cities have all the equipment they need.
“Franklin may need $10,000 in equipment, but on a priority basis how does that compare to the needs of larger and more likely targets?” said Stamford Mayor Dannell Malloy, whose city led the state in homeland security receipts but who has maintained that towns should get the money directly -- not filtered through the state.
Washington began offering money to buy protective equipment for big cities in 1999. For three years, money was spent on seven Connecticut cities: Bridgeport, Hartford, Groton, New Haven, New London, Stamford and Waterbury. The money gave many rescue workers equipment, but no city was able to fully outfit its departments.
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, funding increased dramatically and the Connecticut Office of Emergency Management sent equipment to mid-sized cities such as Greenwich and Meriden. It also spent $1.6 million on regional haz-mat teams.
When the state Homeland Security Division took over grant implementation last year, small cities and towns complained they had received nothing. Big cities, meanwhile, wanted money to outfit all of their workers.
“Mayors in all the cities and towns had their hands out saying, ‘Where’s ours? Where’s ours?”’ said Fairfield Fire Capt. William Kessler, who also serves on the regional haz-mat team.
The state pledged that every town would receive chemical suits, gloves and detection meters. Today, towns with fewer than 6,000 people have received as much in equipment as the three largest cities -- Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford.
For the smaller departments, that meant volunteers needed training to use high-tech equipment. Two towns, Marlborough and Killingworth, opted not to take any gear.
“It really was a question of, let’s be realistic, we’re not first responders for biological warfare,” Killingworth First Selectman David L. Denvir said.
Old Lyme, Southbury and Stonington were the last to file with the state and will receive their equipment soon, homeland security officials said.
John Buturla, the state’s new homeland security chief, said he does not believe small towns should have been left out of the equation.
“Would you have ever thought the town of Oxford would have been the site of one of the five anthrax deaths in the country?” Buturla said. “The purpose of us distributing equipment to every city and town was that when an incident occurs, there are no geographic boundaries.”
That’s not to say the distribution of equipment has been flawless. Nuclear detection gear that was earmarked in 2001 remains on back order. And while all of the mid-sized cities have some equipment from the 2002 grant, none have received all their gear, OEM Director Kerry Flaherty said.
West Hartford Police Chief James Strillacci, president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said delays are part of the reason for local skepticism, but mostly he blamed poor communication.
“The success of any program is in how you sell it,” he said. “If they were just a little more inclusive -- I still don’t know what our share is.”
When police heard that Gov. John G. Rowland wanted another State Police helicopter, Strillacci said, the “hairs on the back of their neck went up.” Many didn’t know Rowland was talking about a state budget item, not a federal purchase.
He said former homeland security Director Vincent DeRosa’s ties to a federal corruption investigation into Rowland’s administration has only made things worse.
Buturla, who served as DeRosa’s deputy and officially replaced him Monday, said he knows how confusing things can get. There’s federal homeland security money, state homeland security money and special grants to towns and departments.
“What we’ve found is there was a break in communication, which we’re going to fix,” Buturla said.
The formula for this year’s grant has not been determined. While officials were required in previous years to develop a plan within 45 days, Buturla said the state will ask for more time this year.
“We’re trying to ensure that they hear from us,” he said. “We want people who truly understand the process and who can participate in the process.”