New Haven Gets $97,500 to Battle Arson
Insurance company money is now helping the New Haven, Conn., Department of Fire Service expand its computerized battle against arson.
In presenting an Aetna Life and Casualty check for $97,500 to Mayor Frank Logue and Chief John Reardon, Aetna’s vice president of corporate communications, John J. Martin, explained that the grant would help add predictability to the fire department’s arson warning and preservation program. Martin, in presenting the check April 10 at New Haven Fire Headquarters, said that Aetna believes that the program is “an important lesson for cities throughout the United States.”
Reardon commented that the arson warning program moves the fire department from a “reactive role to a preventive role.” The computerized program now allows the fire department to retrieve the fire history of specific addresses as well as streets. With the Aetna grant, the computer data will be expanded to include buildings and health code violations plus other key information that will spot buildings that are becoming arson risks.
In noting the deteriorating effect of arson on entire neighborhoods, Logue explained that the program would be expanded by the city government to offer incentives for owners to improve their properties instead of allowing them to erode into arson risks. The mayor pointed out that arson fires “severely undermine the stability of entire neighborhoods where responsible residents are diligently working for revitalization and community improvement.”
In recent months, New Haven also has received a $20,000 grant from the United States Fire Administration to expand the arson warning system. □ □
