Residents press selectmen on fire department coverage and notification gaps

During the meeting’s hearing-of-citizens, Stephen Klein and several residents raised operational concerns about the town’s fire and rescue services and facility notifications.

Stephen Klein asked whether suspended fire department members are still allowed in the fire station and whether private use of station water should be treated as "theft of services." He reported that two members had been suspended recently and said the public should know how suspensions were handled; when asked he said, "two of the members were suspended last week." Klein also described the lack of a bell or door notification in the station bay and said crews are sometimes unreachable when out of the bay, urging the board to install a motion sensor or bell so someone outside the bay is noticed.

Speakers debated staffing and coverage: callers described disparities in who attends calls and presented call-response percentages (for example, the chief at 7% of calls, an assistant chief at 5%, and lieutenants with wide variation). Several residents and current or former officers explained the department frequently uses mutual aid or paramedic intercepts when higher-level care is needed and cautioned that historic coverage levels have always relied on mutual aid and volunteers. A former rescue chief summarized that "the department has never been able to answer all of its calls" and urged focusing on obtaining operational data from the chief rather than assuming neglect.

Board members agreed to meet with the fire chief, request a department report, and follow up on equipment fixes (a bell or motion sensor) and coverage figures. The Selectmen noted that training obligations can temporarily reduce local coverage and that paramedic incentives or training were options to consider.

Next steps: the board will invite the fire chief to a future meeting or receive a department report with staffing, response-rate data and a plan for door/notification fixes.