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Berlin Fire Company warns loan schedule and recruitment shortfalls constrain new trucks and ambulances
Summary
Fire and EMS leaders told the council that out-of-town-run revenue is servicing a $200,000 loan through 2038, limiting capital capacity; EMS will likely borrow in December for an ambulance and faces recruitment and paramedic-training bottlenecks that reduce local coverage.
Fire and EMS leaders described capital and staffing constraints that affect local emergency coverage. Speaker 2 said the department is using out-of-town-run funds to make a $200,000 loan payment that is due every August through 2038, leaving the department unlikely to finance another truck until that obligation ends.
The fire company also announced a public preview of a new apparatus during the October 12 farmers market, but emphasized the vehicle is not yet in service. Speaker 2 said, "we are using the out of town run funds to pay that $200,000 loan payments due every August until 2038," and warned that continuing those payments will leave an older apparatus in service for years.
On EMS, staff presented cash-flow projections and said they will need to borrow in December to pay for an ambulance, then refinance in 2027; they noted a further procurement will be needed for a 2029 ambulance. "We will have to borrow money in December to pay for the ambulance," Speaker 2 said. Speakers estimated a new ambulance will cost roughly $90,000–$100,000 and cautioned that buying used vehicles carries operational risk.
Recruitment and retention remain urgent concerns: the fire company reported about 18–20 volunteers live inside Berlin of roughly 50–55 total. Speakers discussed incentives used by other jurisdictions (property-tax credits, milestone stipends, and state tuition-reimbursement programs) and described the long training timeline for paramedics; the group discussed scholarship or reimbursement strategies (state reimbursement up to 85% for paramedic tuition was noted) as a retention strategy.
The session also covered operational issues: hydrant-filling and water-loss tracking (staff reported over 20% water loss and roughly 20,000–23,000 gallons used last month), and mutual-aid consequences when ambulance units are diverted to Salisbury, which can leave Berlin without EMS coverage for extended periods.
