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Londonderry to upgrade dispatching and study feasibility of four‑person fire‑engine staffing
Summary
Councilors heard plans to upgrade station-alerting and dispatch technology, digitize commercial pre-plans, and determine whether four-person engine staffing can meet NFPA response-time standards; officials set ICS training and exercise targets through 2027.
Londonderry public-safety leaders told the council on April 22 they are upgrading dispatch and station-alerting systems, digitizing pre-planning for commercial occupancies and will study whether staffing an engine with four personnel can meet national-arrival standards.
The deputy fire chief described a current Zetron station-alerting upgrade and called digital pre-planning software a priority, saying paper pre-plans limit real-time access to building hazards. "We're upgrading that system now… Pre-planning software would be wonderful," the deputy chief said, noting that a working digital system would give crews immediate access to hydrant locations, building entries and rooftop solar arrays.
Councilors asked staff to study feasibility and cost for achieving NFPA arrival-time goals — commonly described as a total of six minutes from call to on‑scene arrival (two minutes to dispatch and four minutes travel) with a four‑person engine arriving within that window 90% of the time. Officials emphasized the study must include cost estimates and staffing implications before any change is proposed to taxpayers.
The council also set targets for emergency-preparedness training and exercises: the town aims to have all employees complete ICS 100, 200 and 700 by June 2027 and to develop a town‑wide drill roadmap for fiscal 2028, with grant applications to support EOP (emergency operations plan) updates and exercises.
Next steps: fire leadership will continue Zetron and pre-plan software work, develop baseline response metrics by mid‑2027, and provide the requested feasibility-and-cost analysis on four‑person engine staffing.
