Selectmen, Speedway press for details after Fire Department quote rises for race coverage

Loudon Board of Selectmen and New Hampshire Motor Speedway representatives discussed a proposed increase in the town's fire-department standby estimate for race-week coverage during a Sept. 3 special meeting.

Speedway managers said they received a quote that rose from an earlier figure in the $60,000 range to approximately $92,000–$93,000 for personnel and apparatus coverage tied to event days and traffic-control shifts. The Speedway asked for a clear, day-by-day breakdown of staffing, apparatus and hours so the track could reconcile the quote with its event schedule and previous years' billing.

Fire Department officials explained the principal reasons for the increase: (1) implementation of a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and records-management system with CJIS-compliant access (which required trained and vetted operators and a daytime dispatch presence tied to the event), (2) the track's new master alarm panel and associated fire-watch responsibilities that add one on-site monitoring position during certain periods, and (3) a restored Thursday-night engine detail in the fall race schedule that had previously been reduced after COVID-era changes. Fire staff also said Sunday-day staffing is more robust than in some prior years because volunteer coverage has become unreliable.

Officials described the estimate as a working figure tied to assumptions about shift lengths and the race-day schedule; the Fire Department said some reductions (for example, when events end earlier than scheduled) would lower the billed hours, while delays or weather-driven extensions could increase costs. Fire staff gave an initial estimate of the added Thursday night detail at $6,180 and said the overall scheduled hours on the current draft exceeded last year's billed hours (the draft lifts scheduled hours from roughly 770 to about 1,200 hours across the event window, pending final schedule adjustments).

Both sides agreed to exchange a clarified schedule and a line-item spreadsheet. The Fire Department committed to send a dated, hour-by-hour personnel and apparatus schedule to Speedway operations staff; Speedway officials said they would review and return specific questions so the parties could reach a reasonable, documented agreement without prolonging attorney-to-attorney exchanges.

Lede details: The selectmen convened the special meeting on Sept. 3 and requested a detailed breakdown of the Fire Department standby quote after Speedway officials flagged a large year-over-year increase. Nut graf: Fire staff tied the increase to new dispatch/records systems, alarm-panel monitoring needs and a restored Thursday-night engine detail; both sides agreed to exchange a revised schedule and spreadsheet to resolve open questions. Ending: the departments agreed to continue the discussion by email and follow-up meeting rather than extend the special meeting further.