Assistant fire chief reports steady applicant flow as residents debate certification rules

Assistant Fire Chief Vincent Sanchez updated the meeting on recruitment and staffing for the West Swanzey fire department, saying the department is receiving several applications each week and has multiple candidates advancing toward hiring.

"We're averaging with receiving probably 4 or 5 applications a week," Vincent Sanchez said. He described a screening and interview process that leads to Human Resources review and a recommendation to the board for Personnel Action Request (PAR) and probationary appointment.

Sanchez said two applicants the department recently recommended are local, enrolled in EMT training or already certified, and are expected to complete probation before becoming full members of the department. "1 of them comes right out of Fresno, is 5 0 1 certification is already enrolled into the EMT class. Second 1 has, experience with the key call company, is looking forward to getting is enrolled in, participating in EMT class now and wants to get their fire alarm as soon as possible," he said.

During public comment, a resident questioned whether volunteer or part-time members must hold all certifications and said they had read "RSA 147 something" as guidance on fire-department requirements. Another attendee interrupted to say, "That's false." The exchange left a factual question about the precise certification requirements and statutory interpretation unresolved in the meeting record; no formal change to hiring or certification policy was proposed or voted on during this session.

Sanchez described efforts to shorten the time from application to active status, noting the department aims to streamline background checks and probationary reviews. The meeting record reflects ongoing recruitment progress but no formal board action in this session to change certification standards.