The Charlestown Volunteer Fire Department has resumed using Henryville Correctional Facility inmates as firefighters, chief Lee Slaughter said yesterday.
And so far, Slaughter said, he has received no complaints from the public, as he did in December when the practice became so contentious it was temporarily suspended.
"They are not allowed in residential structures" unless there is a threat to a member of the public or a firefighter, Slaughter said of the inmate volunteers.
The inmates will help support other firefighters at residential fires but will remain outside homes, the chief said, and they will participate in fighting other kinds of fires as other department volunteers
do.
The main objection raised earlier when residents became aware the fire department was using inmates was about allowing them into private homes to fight fires, Slaughter said.
The program was suspended then for an investigation by the Department of Correction. But in January, Correction Commissioner David Donahue said he thought the program was a good one and expected it to resume after the agency completed a formal review.
A spokesman for the Henryville prison couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.
Slaughter said four Henryville inmates began working with the department again on Feb. 8, on an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift Monday through Friday.
Because most volunteers used by the fire department have other jobs during the day, the inmates are a great help, Slaughter said. They get the same training that other firefighters receive and are always supervised by fire department members who have been trained for that role by the Department of Correction, the chief said.
To date, the inmates have been involved in fighting only one structure fire -- at a storage facility -- and Slaughter said they performed well.
Chris Jones, a former fire department member until he was dismissed late last year after criticizing the decision to use inmates, said he still believes there is public concern about the practice. But he said he believes residents are unlikely to comment publicly because they see little response to their concerns from the fire department leadership.
But Mark Goodlett, a Charlestown City Council member and treasurer of the fire department, said he has received no questions from the public about using inmates since the practice resumed.
He said he believes most people now understand the need for the inmates during the day. He also said he has observed them maintaining fire department equipment and facilities and believes they are a big help.
"I don't see a problem with it," Goodlett said