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Residents and officials urge talks to explore consolidating Glocester's fire districts
Summary
A Harmony Fire District commissioner told the council that volunteer numbers and coverage have declined, urging the three local fire districts and the town to discuss consolidation to improve emergency response; council members said letters had been sent and chiefs are meeting to advance talks.
David G. Plant, a Harmony Fire District commissioner, provided correspondence urging the town council and the three fire districts to begin discussions about consolidating or better coordinating fire and EMS services.
Plant said the existing volunteer and paid‑on‑call model has become strained and proposed merging the three districts to better distribute resources. Speakers at the meeting described recent patterns in which rescue apparatus respond long distances and dispatch often sends multiple rescues to single incidents to ensure coverage. Council members and chiefs said they have reached out to district boards, and the three fire chiefs are meeting regularly; council letters were sent in an effort to convene board members for a coordinated discussion.
Councilors and staff acknowledged recruiting challenges and the loss of personnel to neighboring towns, and emphasized the need to convene the district boards to brainstorm solutions. No formal action to consolidate was taken; the item remains a topic for future meetings and inter‑district discussion.
