Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council to study removing rule barring fire officers from holding posts in other towns
Summary
The fire committee recommended striking an ordinance provision that prohibits department officers from holding officer positions in other municipalities to ease recruitment; council members raised mutual-aid concerns and asked the chief for statistics on officers' response activity and to return in May with data before deciding.
The council discussed a recommended change to ordinance 27-15a(4) that currently prevents fire department officers from simultaneously serving as officers in other municipalities. The fire committee recommended striking the provision to allow the fire company more freedom to fill officer roles amid volunteer recruitment challenges.
Members debated the implications for mutual-aid response, command structure and potential conflicts when an officer belongs to multiple departments. Several council members asked the fire chief to supply statistics on current officers' call-response activity and recommended administrative guidelines to avoid capricious decisions by future chiefs. The council agreed to revisit the issue in May after receiving the requested data.
