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Millis fire chief warns ambulance-revenue funding may be unsustainable as calls surge
Summary
Millis Fire Chief told FINCOM that call volume and concurrent medical calls have risen sharply; the department funds many positions from ambulance revenue (about $1 million annually) and requests an $83,000 increase to on-call pay as a stopgap while warning collections and insurer denials threaten long-term sustainability.
The Finance Committee heard a detailed presentation from the fire department on March 4, 2026, outlining sharp increases in call volume, pressure on on-call staffing and the department's reliance on ambulance-billing revenue to fund positions.
Fire Chief (identified in the record as Chief Barrett) told the committee that call volume has climbed sharply since 2019 and that, "over the last 7 years, our call volume has increased 82%," placing sustained pressure on both staffing and mutual-aid arrangements. The chief said the town currently supports ambulance staffing largely through ambulance revenue and that the account's…
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