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Lakeville fire deputies say fire station contract executed, staffing bolstered by ARPA but call volumes are rising
Summary
Deputy Chief Pamper Grant told the committee that design work for a new fire station is complete, the debt-exclusion vote passed and the general-contractor contract with Page Construction has been executed; the department added four positions funded by ARPA and reported rising EMS calls (2,512 to date).
Deputy Chief Pamper Grant, speaking for Fire Chief Michael O’Brien, told the Master Plan Implementation Committee that the town’s new fire station project is moving into construction prep.
Grant said design and development are complete, the debt-exclusion measure to fund the project was approved by voters, and "the contract with the general contractor, Page Construction, that's been executed." She added that a silt and turtle barrier has been erected at the site and that land clearing and a groundbreaking are expected soon. She noted a few state regulatory matters remain but said project managers do not anticipate timeline changes.
On staffing and operations, Grant said the department added four full-time firefighter/EMS positions for fiscal 2026 (calendar year 2025) using ARPA funds that were rolled into the operating budget. She emphasized chronic staffing challenges and said the department aims for incremental hiring (for example, two positions per year) rather than large catch-up increases.
Grant also described rising call volumes: the department projected roughly 3,000 calls for the year and reported 2,512 calls to date, putting the town ahead of last year’s pace. She explained that the station’s design could accommodate about four additional personnel; increased staffing would allow the department to start each shift with two fully staffed ALS ambulances rather than relying on calling in on‑call personnel for simultaneous medicals.
The committee thanked Grant and asked clarifying operational questions (including an explanation of the department’s combination career-and-on-call staffing model and what a "tone out" requires). No formal action was taken; members requested continued updates on construction milestones and staffing plans.
