Smithfield fire chief defends staffing, outlines recruitment and cuts amid rising EMS demand

Fire Chief Derek Keen told the Smithfield Budget & Financial Review Board on April 14 that Smithfield's Fire Department needs to maintain staffing levels and specialized equipment to meet a structural increase in emergency calls, while the department pursues recruitment, training and selective budget cuts to ease near-term pressure.

Keen, who introduced himself as a 24-year firefighter and Smithfield resident, said the department answered 5,397 runs in 2025, including about 3,892 EMS incidents, and that the three most recent years sit well above the prior decade's average of roughly 4,400 responses. "Smithfield firefighters are willing to lay their life down for complete strangers," he said, stressing the safety rationale for meeting National Fire Protection Association staffing benchmarks.

The chief emphasized revenue sources that offset the operating budget: third-party EMS billing that generates approximately $1.4 million annually (year-to-date $1.1 million through March), federal and state grants including SAFER and AFG, and occasional legislative trust grants. He noted a $50,000 AFG award used to buy three Lucas CPR machines and described motor-vehicle-accident billing as a modest, variable revenue stream.

Keen reviewed the department's capabilities (advanced-life-support EMS, a mobile integrated health program, hazmat response, drone ops, underwater dive rescue and technical rescue teams) and explained how the department meets NFPA 1710 staffing recommendations for ladder operations. "To meet that 1710 standard of 17," he said, Smithfield operates a model with 16 core shift firefighters plus two floaters, allowing a buffer above minimums.

Board members pressed the chief on persistent overtime, vacancy dynamics and infrastructure. Keen said the department currently lists seven vacancies and an additional impending departure; overtime is driven by injury-on-duty and extended medical leaves, limits on assigning EMT basics under the collective bargaining agreement, and depletion of floater capacity. He described steps to reduce overtime pressure: building an in-house pathway to upgrade EMT-basic personnel to higher credentials, pursuing lateral transfers of already-credentialed firefighters, and tapping non-traditional recruitment channels.

Members also questioned capital needs and station accessibility. Keen identified three stations (607 Putnam Pike; 66 Farnum Pike; 15 Log Road), said station additions have been funded in the past by ARPA and other sources, and agreed to provide the board with Kramer & Associates overlay maps that model response-time coverage. The 2016 Kramer report (paid by the town for $26,700) recommended 24-hour ladder coverage at Station 3 and 24-hour coverage of Rescue Two; the chief said the town has been implementing those priorities.

On the mobile integrated health (MIH) program, Keen said initial CDC funding expired and opioid-settlement dollars alongside rural health grants now support the position, but long-term stability depends on continued settlement receipts and prospective state funding changes. He described MIH services as patient-centered care aimed at reducing unnecessary emergency-department visits.

The board debated apparatus needs, with some members noting that structural fire calls represent a small share of runs while others argued that ladder trucks provide unique, nontransferable capabilities (ventilation, high-elevation access, heavy extrication equipment). Keen noted equipment constraints on engines and the rationale for keeping specialized apparatus in service.

Finance-related questions focused on EMS-billing accounting and historical trends. Members requested five-year trends and the EMS billing fund's year-end balances to clarify how collections have offset operating and capital needs. Keen agreed to supply the additional data and to return overlays and heat maps showing incident density and projected station coverage.

Keen said he had cut several "wants" from his capital requests, including delaying certain roof repairs and repurposing returned turnout gear to reduce immediate capital outlays; he also said changes to reserve-apparatus equipment saved about $65,000. He cautioned that permanent staffing changes are governed by collective-bargaining terms and that some near-term strategies (floaters, overtime management) are being used to manage operational risk while the department pursues longer-term staffing solutions.

The board did not take a formal vote on the department budget at the meeting; members set follow-up requests for additional data, a meeting with the union, and further review during upcoming budget hearings (police on April 21, a free-form review on April 28, and public works May 5). The meeting adjourned after limited public comment.