New Freedom’s fire and EMS leaders updated council on operations and equipment needs during the Nov. 10 meeting.

Fire statistics: The fire department reported 58 calls in October — 38 fire dispatches, 18 EMS responses and two fire police calls — and announced two new members. Department representatives said their capital campaign for a replacement ladder truck had raised roughly $8,000 so far toward an estimated $2,000,000 replacement cost and that they will continue solicitations and a local fund drive.

EMS updates and equipment: EMS and fire leadership reviewed incident counts and the positive effect of a recently placed change truck. The EMS representative said the last month’s incident totals suggest the change truck reduced units out of service compared with the prior year. Council members asked about radio replacement timing and costs; staff described past bulk quotes (a prior package figure around $270,000 was referenced) and more recent per‑unit quotes near $8,000 (Harris) with Motorola pricing higher. County EMA pricing was noted as potentially lower (around $5,000 per unit) and managers said they are actively pursuing grants and coordinating with neighboring municipalities to seek volume discounts.

Budget and logistics: Council discussed how EMS fuel and mutual cost accounting is reconciled across municipalities; staff agreed to present a monthly breakdown of fuel and call allotment data to help budget forecasting.

Next steps: Staff will continue grant searches, pursue county‑level procurement options and provide more detailed cost comparisons for radio replacement and ladder truck planning ahead of the 2026 budget cycle.