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Tamworth select board backs additional fire‑department daytime coverage after data briefing
Summary
After a presentation showing rising call volumes, the board agreed to support adding part‑time firefighter coverage this year while monitoring spending, citing recruitment constraints and ambulance staffing needs; the board discussed but did not record a formal dollar‑amount vote.
Chief Colker told the Tamworth Select Board that call volume for the town’s fire and ambulance service has grown steadily and that the department currently has only one full‑time firefighter on staff. He presented trend graphs and said the projection showed continued increases in medical and other emergency calls, arguing the town needs more daytime staffing to ensure ambulance availability and faster fire response.
The presentation prompted questions from multiple selectboard members about whether the department will spend newly appropriated funds: members noted that the prior year’s part‑time firefighter budget (about $95,000) was under‑spent and returned to the general fund. Selectboard member Ford asked why the town should add $45,000 now when recent pre‑audited actuals show the part‑time line has not been fully used in prior years.
Chief Colker said the $45,000 figure would fund a pool of part‑time responders—no salary or benefits for a single hire—so multiple people could staff shifts five days a week starting in June, improving ambulance coverage and daytime fire response. He also highlighted regional growth data, saying the county is among the fastest‑growing in New Hampshire and that the town has added new residential structures in recent years, which increases call demand.
Board members debated alternatives: some favored holding the part‑time appropriation at $95,000 given prior underspending, others proposed a smaller increase (for example, $25,000–$30,000), and a few recommended factoring in the recent cost‑of‑living adjustments and moving to roughly $105,000 as an interim step. There was general agreement to support strengthening daytime coverage and to use existing part‑time allocations where possible, with a plan to reevaluate after actual spending is known.
The board discussed related equipment and grant efforts during the same session. Staff and the chief described work on federal AFG radio and monitor grants, supply‑chain delays for radios and medical monitors, and the potential to partner regionally with neighboring towns to improve grant competitiveness.
No formal roll call on a specific new dollar amount for the part‑time firefighter line is recorded in the transcript; the board signaled support for additional coverage and directed staff and the chief to monitor spending and return with updated numbers at a later date.
