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Selectboard backs defibrillator grant application and discusses dispatch costs
Summary
The board authorized town staff to apply for a grant to buy defibrillators for the administrative building and vehicles and discussed compiling dispatching and policing cost comparisons for April.
The Selectboard authorized staff to apply for grant funding to purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for town facilities and vehicles. Emergency-services representatives said the town currently lacks an AED in the town office and requested three to four devices; one board member noted an estimated new AED list price of about $1,500 each, meaning total equipment costs could be roughly $6,000 if buying several units.
Separately staff reported they and the chief are compiling a comparison of dispatch and policing costs for similar towns and will present findings on April 14. The board discussed the role of dispatch (recordkeeping and call logging) and the growing staffing pressures facing state troopers; staff will invite more detailed dispatch personnel to a future meeting for a fuller briefing. The board voted to authorize the grant application for AEDs and to proceed with the cost-comparison work on dispatching.
Next steps: staff will submit the AED grant application and return with dispatch-cost benchmarking at the April 14 meeting.
