News

‘An Opportunity To Give Back To The Community’: New Canaan’s Volunteer Firefighters

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As a child, lifelong New Canaanite Peter Ayoub dreamt of becoming a firefighter or astronaut. A 2003 New Canaan High School graduate who now works as a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers doing M&A advisory, Ayoub recalls donning firefighters’ outfits for several Halloweens in New Canaan. More recently, especially after purchasing a house in town a little more than one year ago, the grownup Ayoub said he found himself “looking for an opportunity to give back to the community.”

Ayoub’s inspiration for making that a priority has been his own parents. “They’re both doctors in town and they always gave back,” he said. “I was trying to find an avenue myself, to get involved and help the people I care about.”

Those people being fellow New Canaanites, and recent weeks have seen some of the ways they’ve needed help, as frozen water pipes have burst at dozens of New Canaan houses from extreme low temperatures, and high winds have taken down trees and limbs that knocked power out of more than 1,000 homes.

Government

First Selectman: New Canaan Achieves High Fire Protection Rating

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New Canaan’s highest elected official said town residents likely will see better fire-related insurance premiums following an even stronger rating of the local fire department. First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said in a press release Tuesday that the town is seeing a “significant upgrade” to its fire protection rating from the Insurance Service Office—a way to measure the emergency response agency’s performance, efficiency and effectiveness based on a set of standards, according to this FEMA-published report. “Less than 1 percent of ISO-rated communities have achieved a rating lower than 4,” he said. New Canaan formerly had been rated 6/9 by ISO, Mallozzi said. The rating company’s citation includes this paragraph, he said: “Improvements in firefighting water supply are the primary reason for the improvement.

News

Two-Car Accident Closes Lower Frogtown Road Monday Night

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A accident involving two cars shut down lower Frogtown Road—the end closest to Weed Street—late Monday. Firefighters, EMT’s and police quickly arrived on scene soon after it was reported at approximately 8:30 p.m. Those present said there were no major injuries. Both autos sustained heavy damage to their left front ends. One of the two vehicles—a Bentley—and its two occupants were still at the scene by the time NewCanaanite.com arrived, as the other had already been towed away on a flatbed truck. The spot of the accident was located just east of Parish Road and near a notorious hill a few hundred yards away from the intersection of Frogtown and Weed.

Public Safety
New Canaan Fire Department

Fire Log: Man in Town Hall Elevator Trapped for 35 Minutes

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A man in elevator in the newly renovated New Canaan Town Hall got trapped for about 35 minutes when the elevator was stuck Tuesday afternoon. It was one of the New Canaan Fire Department’s calls last week (see below for more). The elevator missed one of the floors by a few inches, which set off internal safety devices that kept the door from opening, said Fire Chief Jack Hennessey. A short while later, an elevator repair man could be seen working on the device, which was between the first floor and the floor below. “We were talking with the gentleman who was in the car, and he was in no distress,” Hennessey said.

News

Fire Log: Motorist Extricated After Crashing Off of Merritt Parkway Exit Ramp

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Firefighters last Wednesday responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident off of an exit ramp of the Merritt Parkway, officials say. At 4:20 p.m. on July 30, firefighters were dispatched to the southbound exit ramp at Exit 36, according to the New Canaan Fire Department. Arriving at 4:24 p.m., firefighters found that a car had been driven through the barrier and while airborne had hit a tree and come to rest on its side 20 feet down an embankment, according to a NCFD report. A single individual in the car required extrication, and while firefighters stabilized the car, an EMT stabilized the victim inside, and that individual eventually was removed through the front windshield, the report said. One other vehicle was involved in the accident, though no one in that car was injured and no damage was done to the second car, the report said.