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Newport forms fire‑department task force to draft five‑year staffing plan
Summary
After hearing that the volunteer fire department has lost about half its roster and responded to nearly 100 calls this year, the council approved a task force — chaired by Andrew Touchette — to recommend recruitment, mutual‑aid, and staffing options over the next 6–12 months.
The Newport City Council voted June 2 to form a task force charged with developing a five‑year strategic plan for the fire department that will address recruitment, staffing, and mutual‑aid arrangements.
Fire leadership described shrinking volunteer ranks and heavier call volumes. The chief said the department has ‘‘about 97 calls’’ for the calendar year so far and that membership has declined from roughly 41 to an estimated 24–26 potential active members, straining response capacity. The task force’s charge includes evaluating recruitment, training, mutual‑aid or auto‑aid agreements, and options such as partial career staffing or regionalization.
Andrew Touchette volunteered to chair the effort; the council passed a motion to form the task force and to recruit both firefighters and community members with subject‑matter expertise. Council members emphasized that community representation is important and suggested forming a smaller core group that invites specialists as needed.
The task force is expected to meet regularly and return recommendations — likely within six to 12 months — on how the city should address shortfalls in manpower while balancing costs and coverage. The council also thanked fire leadership and called for public outreach to build awareness and participation.
