Town hears fire department warn staffing strains are lengthening response times

Town Council members and fire department leaders at a Feb. 10 workshop heard that rising emergency medical service (EMS) demand, limited staffing and the town’s geography are lengthening response times and increasing reliance on mutual aid.

Fire department leaders said the department answered roughly 1,400 calls in the last full year and that medical calls make up the majority of that workload. Deputy Chief Andy Turicotte said the department’s average response time was “just under 9 minutes,” compared with an internal target of about 7 minutes, and that when mutual‑aid arrivals are included the average can climb to about 13 minutes for some incidents.

The timing matters for high‑acuity cases such as cardiac arrest and stroke, the chief and other speakers said. “When you look at those strokes, cardiac arrest, those minutes matter,” one presenter said, adding that the town’s limited on‑duty staffing makes it hard to get personnel on scene quickly and to meet minimum staffing rules for fire entry.

Town and department speakers outlined several reasons for the delay: the department presently staffs a single ambulance on duty; two of four daily shifts have only two people and two shifts…