A team of Connecticut firefighters which includes James Villwock of Durham will return to the state Wednesday afternoon after spending two weeks in Montana battling wildfires there.
Villwock is a member of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's (DEEP) fire crew scheduled to return to the Eastern District Headquarters in Marlborough.
The 20-person fire crew (14 DEEP employees and 6 local firefighters) left Connecticut August 13 and were sent to Lolo National Forest, Montana to assist fighting wild fires in the western part of that state.
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DEEP maintains a roster of agency staff members and personnel from local fire departments who have been certified to fight forest or wildfires. Crew members must complete a rigorous training program and participate in an annual renewal course.
Connecticut maintains this firefighting capability to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Under this program, trained personnel from other parts of the nation are available to assist Connecticut in the event of a fire emergency – in return for personnel from this state being available to assist elsewhere.
CT DEEP Members of Connecticut Fire Crew:
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Jason Bjornberg Lyme
Timothy M. Baird East Granby
Mark Blazejak Voluntown
Eric Gileau Preston
Christopher Kostopoulos West Haven
Jeffrey Krukar Torrington
Thomas Nosal Middletown
Stacy Pappano Windsor
Thomas RisCassi Hartford
Richard Scalora Berlin
Michael Shaw Torrington
David Stygar Lebanon
James Villwock Durham
Justin Wiggins Newington
Other members:
Ben Arnold Dayville
Anthony Flamio Farmington
Jacob Light Enfield
Sergio Liguori New Milford
Juan Sanchez, III Chaplin
Allan Waterman Moosup
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