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Fire and EMS leaders warn of volunteer shortages and aging ambulance fleet in Berlin
Summary
Fire and EMS officials told the council volunteer recruitment is strained (Firefighter I training now ~120 hours), vehicle maintenance and capital funding are stressed, and paramedic vacancies persist though one full‑time hire starts soon; the department is pursuing county‑level incentives.
Fire and emergency medical services leaders briefed the council on operational statistics and budget pressures.
Officials reported a rise in required training hours for new firefighters to roughly 120 hours, a national and local recruitment challenge, and ongoing paramedic vacancies (two full‑time paramedic vacancies remain; one new hire begins full time the day after the meeting). Presenters said the department has absorbed high vehicle maintenance costs and is borrowing to cover ambulance purchases; they noted that keeping ambulances in service is difficult because manufacturers and electronics reliability issues have increased out‑of‑service rates.
Leaders described aid models used by neighboring jurisdictions, efforts to start an apprenticeship program with local training partners, and the department’s aggressive billing and collections efforts that have raised collection rates. The fire/EMS leadership said they will present county commissioners with data in support of potential property‑tax relief or other incentives to retain volunteers.
Council praised crews for storm response and noted the operational tradeoffs between volunteers and career staff. The town will continue to monitor capital funding needs for replacement ambulances and staffing levels as part of budget work sessions.
