Fiber by Day, Firehouse by Night: Spectrum Employees Answer the Call

By day, Tom Converse keeps Spectrum’s fiber construction humming across southern New England, from New Hampshire to coastal Connecticut. By night and on weekends, he's deputy chief of the all-volunteer Muddy Brook Fire Department in Woodstock, CT, where his family has worked for nearly a century.

"Being a firefighter is something that I've grown up with. My great grandfather was a charter member here in the early 1930s, my great uncle was chief, my father was a captain and my mother was the first female Lieutenant," Tom said. "Currently, my three children are part of the department; two are cadets and one is an active EMT. When they suit up next to me, it's not just pride that I feel, it's giving back to the community."

And while Construction Manager and Deputy Fire Chief might look like two very different roles on paper, both have strong ties to community.

“In my role at Spectrum, we’re connecting communities, schools, hospitals and families,” Tom said. “At the fire department, we are responding to these same people, keeping the community connected and safe.”

Spectrum supports the Muddy Brook Fire Department and  other volunteer firehouses across the country through the Spectrum Employee Community Grant (SECG) program, which provides funding to employee-nominated nonprofits where employees volunteer. Tom’s firehouse is one of 38 volunteer fire departments nationwide to receive SECG support since the program began in 2019, turning employee volunteer hours into the gear crews count on every time they respond to a call.

“Being a first responder in a small town gives you the unique ability to show up for someone you know – a neighbor, someone you grew up with,” Tom said. “It’s the same with my work at Spectrum.”

When Spectrum backs the places where our employees give their time, the payoffs run both ways. Nonprofit organizations get much needed financial support, and employees know we have their back when they go the extra mile for the places they call home.