Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chief: Tisbury’s emergency-management duties need a team, not a single coordinator
Summary
FinCom heard that the town’s Emergency Management role is currently assigned to the Fire Chief by default; Chief Rolston recommended a 3–4 person EM team (fire, police, EMS, harbor) to spread specialized responsibilities and reduce single-person burden.
Emergency Management (EM) spending was flat, but FinCom flagged a 300% overspend in line 5730 (Dues & Subscription) for FY26. Chief Patrick Rolston, who serves as the town Emergency Coordinator by default, said the role requires different skills than frontline fire or ambulance duties and is difficult to fill permanently.
"He felt the position might best be served by a 3-4 person team: fire, police, EMS, harbor," the minutes record. The committee discussed credential incentives already reflected in personnel lines (~3% credential incentive for the chief) and a shared appointed EM official whose salary (~$31,548 split with Police Lt. Bill Brigham) appeared in the current budget. FinCom expressed concern about overloading the chief with multiple, ongoing responsibilities and discussed options for shared staffing or regional coordination.
