Hudson Fire chief outlines staffing shortfall and a possible referendum to add full-time firefighters

Hudson Fire Chief Drew Spellman told the North Hudson Board of Trustees the department’s 2025 review shows staffing challenges and growing call volume that could require a financial measure to add full-time staff.

Spellman said the department responded to 643 calls in the village in 2025 and recorded an average 15-minute arrival time for the first firefighting-capable apparatus within the village footprint. He told trustees the volunteer force is aging — the department’s average member age is 46 compared with a national average near 36 — and recruitment is constrained by the local housing market. "We're not getting 19 year olds... we're not getting 20 year olds," Spellman said, explaining why the department is proposing to supplement volunteers with a core of paid staff.

He said the fire board authorized a city-led referendum to fund adding roughly 13 full-time equivalents (including coverage to reduce response times by about half). The referendum would be decided by city voters; the city is coordinating a resident survey that closes June 8 and which the city will release to partner communities around June 15. Spellman said that if the survey returns favorable results, the city will draft question language for the November ballot; if not, the effort may be paused.

Why it matters: trustees said they rely on the city for fire protection under contract through 2040; any levy increase would be subject to state levy-limit laws and requires voter approval if it exceeds statutory growth limits. Spellman said levy proceeds from a successful referendum must be used only for fire department staffing. He also told the board the city and department are exploring longer-term funding alternatives (sales or tourism taxes) to reduce reliance on annual tax increases.

The chief offered to return with further information and asked the village to remain engaged as the city releases survey results.