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Fire and police chiefs report equipment, calls and new radio system; ladder in service, ambulance replacements planned
Summary
Police and Fire chiefs briefed Selectmen on call volumes, equipment status and grants. The fire department reported a ladder truck returned to service and planned apparatus floor resurfacing; both departments described improvements from a multi-million-dollar radio grant and noted lengthy lead times for ambulance procurement.
Norwood’s fire and police chiefs briefed the Board of Selectmen Tuesday on department activity and equipment needs, citing improved radio communications and ongoing vehicle replacement planning.
Fire Chief Tim Bailey reported the department’s ladder truck had returned to service after repairs and the department is placing replacement apparatus on the capital plan; new ladder trucks can take three to three-and-a-half years to build. The department will resurface its apparatus floor in coming months, requiring temporary shuffling of equipment and use of a tent for gear while the work occurs. Chief Bailey said two recently ordered grants were being closed out and that seven radio sites are online from a communications upgrade that has already improved interior building radio reception.
Both chiefs noted staffing and equipment challenges. Bailey said ambulance procurement has a two-to-two-and-a-half-year lead time and the department is seeking to stagger orders to avoid simultaneous replacements. The police chief highlighted an approximately $9 million radio-equipment grant that will convert the region to a digital system and improve coverage in previously weak locations such as certain retail buildings; the project will improve interoperability with neighboring communities.
Chiefs also provided activity statistics: police reported roughly 18,504 calls for service year-to-date with roughly 111 drug arrests and 63 OUIs among other enforcement metrics; fire reported roughly 6,004 calls to date including EMS responses and fire prevention activity.
Why it matters: the equipment and radio upgrades affect emergency response capability and interagency coordination; long lead times for apparatus and ambulance purchases require planning and capital budgeting.
What’s next: departments will bring capital requests for replacement ladder/ambulance and will coordinate logistics for the apparatus floor resurfacing and HREC/ATREC radio rollout.
