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Yarmouth fire chief seeks SAFER grants, more staff and a hardened dispatch site
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Summary
Fire Chief Simonian told the Finance Committee that the department recorded 7,567 incidents last year, is 3 firefighters short of a study-recommended staffing level and has expended roughly 67% of its reduced overtime line; the department is pursuing SAFER and equipment grants and recommends moving dispatch to Station 3 for resilience.
Fire Chief Simonian told the Finance Committee that the department handled 7,567 incidents last year, which produced more than 10,000 unit responses because multiple apparatus respond to many calls. He and his staff said COVID-related absences and contract changes have driven overtime higher; the department has expended roughly 67% of its currently funded overtime amount and still shows a $50,000 shortfall in the overtime line.
Deputy Chief Sawyer summarized grant activity: the department’s current SAFER grant runs through January 2024, and a new SAFER application is underway that—if awarded at the highest reimbursement level—would cover three years of salaries and benefits at 100%. The department also secured an AFG cardiac monitor grant to purchase five monitors and a state grant to buy a fit-test machine (roughly $19,000) to standardize respirator fit testing.
The chief outlined operational priorities should additional staffing funding be secured: a shift commander (captain in a command vehicle) so a senior officer is not riding an apparatus while managing incidents; a training captain to restore daytime training interrupted by high run volume; a dedicated fire prevention officer; and a full‑time heavy‑truck mechanic to reduce costly outsourcing. Simonian recommended moving dispatch to Station 3 — a masonry building with roughed-in space that would better protect the 9-1-1 system during disasters — but cautioned the project would require capital fit-out (previous planning estimates on similar work were in the mid-six-figure to low seven-figure range).
Why it matters: The committee must weigh SAFER and other grant-dependent staffing proposals against ongoing local budget constraints: some new positions funded by grants must be carried in the town’s operating budget when federal support expires. Members asked for clearer estimates of long-term costs, capital timing to finish Station 3 and the schedule for potential hires if grants award positions.
Next steps: Fire staff will provide the committee with more detailed cost and grant-runout information and the committee will consider station-fit and capital timing as part of the FY planning cycle.
