Dover fire chief seeks five full‑time firefighters after SAFER grant denial; council weighs stipend program and budget impact

Fire Chief David Carey asked council to add five full‑time firefighter positions to supplement volunteer and stipend crews after the city's SAFER grant application was declined.

Carey said the SAFER grant request — submitted earlier — sought 10 hires with the expectation of funding five; the grant was denied. He explained the five positions were intended to place one firefighter on Station 1 24/7 and one at Station 2 to expand coverage from a five‑day schedule to seven days. “Our intentions were to put 1 person at Station 1 24 hours a day... The fifth position was to go to Station 2 to supplement the dispatcher that currently works out there,” Carey said.

Chief Carey described operational reasons for full‑time staffing: faster, more reliable responses and reduction of risk when volunteer drivers are unavailable. He said the positions would supplement, not replace, the volunteer model and live‑in/residency programs the department is developing.

Chief Carey and staff provided cost estimates: a 40‑hour‑per‑week firefighter including pension, health insurance, uniforms and training was estimated at about $114,580 annually; placing a firefighter on rotating 12‑hour shifts raised an estimated fully loaded cost to about $125,000 per position.

Council members expressed divided views. Some members pressed for more financial detail and suggested waiting to assess effects of the new stipend program, which takes effect June 1, while others proposed considering a supplemental appropriation if state funding materializes. Dr. Sudler said he could not support adding full‑time positions at the cited cost level without a clearer fiscal footing; Councilwoman Pillsbury moved to approve two positions and asked for regular reports on response-time changes; the motion did not secure immediate adoption during the hearing.

Chief Carey also reported on volunteer recruitment and retention: the department has recruited several new volunteers but faces retention challenges given the time commitment and training requirements; he estimated roughly 15 active new volunteers from recent recruiting efforts. Carey emphasized that response times improved in recent years and that additional full‑time personnel or sustained stipend and live‑in programs could yield further improvements.

The council asked staff to supply full cost breakdowns (salary, pension participation, health insurance and other benefits) and to return with fiscal analyses before adding permanent firefighter positions to the FY2026 staffing plan. No hires were authorized during the hearing.