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Middletown fire chief urges SAFER grant to add four firefighters, says it would cut overtime and improve safety
Summary
Chief Holmes told the Public Safety Commission the department will seek a three‑year SAFER grant totaling $859,039.35 to hire four firefighters (one per shift), which he said would raise minimum staffing, reduce overtime by roughly 64.3% and improve response safety.
Chief Holmes told the Middletown Public Safety Commission on Oct. 20 that he will pursue a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant worth $859,039.35 over three years to hire four firefighters — one for each shift. He said the hires would raise the department minimum from 12 to 13 personnel and aim to staff trucks with three people 90% of the time.
Why it matters: Holmes said the department operated with only two people on its aerial ladder truck 73% of the time during a recent 12‑month review, below the National Fire Protection Association recommendation that companies staff large apparatus with four personnel when possible. "Seventy‑three percent of the time, it only has two people on it," Holmes said, adding that a three‑person crew is a significant safety improvement. He cited examples where understaffing complicated rescues, including a nursing‑home response in Quincy and an apartment incident reported by a neighboring department.
Chief Holmes presented conservative financial modeling based on daily staffing sheets from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. His estimate: adding the single firefighter per shift would have reduced overtime fills by 64.3% for that year and yielded an overtime cost reduction of approximately $280,719.52. "If we had that 1 extra firefighter, the overtime would have been reduced by 64.3%," Holmes said. He said the SAFER grant covers three years of salary and benefits (75% in year 1, 75% in year 2, 35% in year 3 under the revised grant structure) and that hires could be implemented in August so they fit into the next budget cycle.
Holmes framed the request as a measure to reduce burnout and long‑term costs: "We're trying to stop the burnout. We're trying to reduce the overtime," he said, and noted the department’s overtime for the year was over $600,000, so the modeled reduction would be meaningful even if not fully realized.
Commission questions and next steps: Commissioners asked about exact salary offsets and the mechanics of multi‑year funding; Holmes said he will provide a detailed data sheet and an additional year of analysis, and will reach out to economic development staff to identify local offsets. He requested referral of the SAFER application and supporting materials to the finance and government committee for formal consideration. The commission did not take a final vote on the SAFER application at this meeting.
Context and qualifications: Holmes emphasized vacancies, military deployments and paid‑leave rules that have left apparatus short. He described national standards and mutual‑aid practices to underscore the safety rationale for the additional staffing, and cautioned that a single added firefighter may sometimes be unavailable for reasons such as leave or deployment, but said the modeled figures were intentionally conservative.
The chief said he will email the commission the full data and intends to seek a referral to finance and government; commissioners did not object to further vetting.
