“We’re in danger…” says Middletown resident regarding Fire Dept. staffing

RINewsToday has been following the issue of understaffing claims of the Middletown Fire Department for several weeks, following a fire where the department was delayed in responding because of another emergency.

This week, the Middletown Town Council meeting was held on Jan. 21st. Members of the public showed up to speak on the staffing issue. However, they were not allowed to speak due to the agenda format.

The Council meetings are live-streamed. Below is the video of the entire meeting. At the 1:22:20 mark, members of the public are exiting the room, expressing their disappointment that they would not be allowed to speak – with a woman shouting as she left the room, “Are you serious? Our whole town is in danger…we’re in danger.” Our council member turns to the other, while shaking her head, “That’s our resident?” To which the council chair says, “I think so.”