BOF Releases Funding for Six New Firefighters

Published on 7/15/2004

Members of the Board of Finance last Friday officially released $303,740 to hire six paid firefighters/medical responders, making good on a verbal pledge given in late June to finance the positions.

The board voted unanimously during a July 9 special meeting to release the funds, which voters approved earlier in the year as part of the fiscal 2004-05 budget.

While the money would not have been available until this month, the start of the fiscal year, BOF members chose not to commit to releasing the funds until they had a chance to question MMA Consulting Group of Boston about its review of the fire department.

The consulting group presented the final version of its study, which recommends the hiring of 10 additional paid firefighters, during a June 23 special meeting.

BOF members requested the study in March 2003, saying at the time they would not approve additional positions without a "roadmap" for the changeover to a department with more paid staff.

Before approving the funds last Friday, each of the five BOF members in attendance took the chance to state, one last time, his expectation that the department adopt the organizational changes recommended by the consultant.

The proposed changes include creating a new division for all volunteers under the direction of a new assistant chief of volunteers; splitting the positions of fire chief and fire marshal, now jointly held by Charles Herrschaft; and creating a new assistant chief of operations position to handle the daily management of the department.

"My support of this is with the understanding that the Board of Fire Commissioners and Board of Selectmen give serious consideration to MMA's recommendations," said James O'Keefe.

He and fellow BOF member Rich Evans have openly questioned the department's treatment of volunteers based on anonymous complaints they say they have received from a handful of past and current firefighters.

While saying he believed the department could improve volunteer treatment and recruitment, Evans said the immediate need for the positions outweighed his other concerns.

"To learn at some point in the near future that we didn't have the resources to properly handle an emergency would be worse," he said.

BOF members said they expect the Board of Fire Commissioners to review and begin implementing MMA's recommendations as hiring proceeds.

With the release of the funding, the Board of Fire Commissioners can start the hiring process for three new emergency medical technicians and three paramedics, all cross-trained as firefighters.

The six new positions will supplement the 10 paid medical personnel who already man the town's ambulance and the heavy rescue unit. Fire officials say the additional staff will help guarantee two pairs of medical responders around the clock while improving emergency response during the daytime, when many volunteers work.

Fire Chief Charles Herrschaft has said the hiring process would take about four months.