Norwood officials propose $2.1M levy to add fire and police staffing, training and gear

NORWOOD — Town staff and public-safety leaders presented a staffing study at a workshop recommending a phased increase in both fire and police personnel, a dedicated fire training officer and one-time equipment purchases, funded in part by a proposed operational override that staff estimated would increase the town’s levy by about $2.1 million.

The study, presented by town staff (Speaker 2), said emergency call volumes have risen over the last 10–15 years and spiked after the pandemic, stressing existing crews. For fire operations the plan calls for adding three firefighters per shift so a second engine now staffed with two people would reach four, and to create an additional float position per shift to support medical responses and cover retirements, injuries and long-term absences. “Mutual aid is not a solution to our staffing needs,” the presenter said, noting NFPA 1710 response-time and staffing benchmarks and the difficulty of getting neighboring units to meet an eight-minute…