Kochek At Forefront Of Firefighting Safety (Hartford Courant)

by | May 11, 2016 | News

Staff writer Denise Coffey at the Hartford Courant recently interviewed Kochek Founder and CEO, Greg Kozey, to discuss the importance of moving water in rural areas with limited access to fire hydrants.

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When a structure fire was called in at 2:39 a.m. on March 16 at the Del Rio Restaurant on Route 12 in Thompson, nine fire crews responded.

Muddy Brook, Woodstock, Dudley, and East Putnam fire departments joined the five Thompson fire departments in fighting the blaze.

The East Putnam crew had a strainer device that let them suck water out of the French River immediately behind the restaurant. Despite access to the water, and a bevy of tanker trucks on scene, the fire destroyed the structure before it was put out.

Greg Kozey faced similar challenges when he was a volunteer firefighter and chief in Eastford many years ago. Finding water sources in a town with no hydrants was one of his primary challenges. But Kozey was a machinist. He started working on a solution.

Read full article at the courant.com »