Weathersfield
Morris said merging the departments, the Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department and the West Weathersfield Fire Department, which are all-volunteer currently, would address many recommendations contained in a 2015 report from consultant John Wood.
At the conclusion of Morris’ presentation, Board Chairwoman Kelly Murphy said the board will take time to review report and begin discussing it at its Oct. 1 meeting.
In his recommendations, Morris said the board will first have to determine if a single department will provide the best emergency services for the community and whether the benefits of hiring a full-time chief whose total employment package would cost an estimated $111,000, inlcuding $60,000 in salary, outweigh the costs.
“Once these decisions are made, the complex task of working through the transition can be addressed,” Morris wrote.
After the meeting, Murphy said town officials are still looking into whether the change would require Town Meeting approval.
Morris also said after a merger, he would recommend continuing to use volunteer firefighters while transitioning to paid-on-call firefighters.
The report was compiled over the last few months after the Selectboard instructed Morris to complete a study to see if a municipal department would be more efficient.
Morris said a lot of time was spent speaking to Wood about the town’s fire services.
“One thing that came up multiple times during the discussions is how convoluted the town has made the fire services by intermingling resources and assets between the town and the departments,” Morris wrote.
He also reiterated what Wood said about some pieces of equipment being owned by the town and others by the departments and disagreements about who is responsible for paying for maintenance. Additionally, there is “constant confusion” over who has authority, the town or department, when it comes to decision-making.
Morris went on to suggest a management structure with a full-time chief rather than a volunteer or part-time chief, neither of which he said would have the time or be properly compensated to handle all of the department duties and responsibilities.
“I have trouble believing a volunteer chief would be willing to donate the time to do all that work,” Morris said, adding that he feels the same about a part-time chief even if that person were paid for 20 hours a week.
Department efficiencies, including reducing equipment by two engines and one small vehicle, would results in cost savings of $82,000 a year over the long term, which would offset some of the expense of a full-time chief, Morris wrote.
In his cost analysis, Morris said the projected tax impact would be about $61,000 in the first year; however that number could potentially be reduced through other budget reductions, the town manager said.
“After a year or two, the costs will start to equalize with the reduction in cost from not needing to purchase new apparatus and equipment,” Morris wrote. “I estimate the total annualized long-term cost to be $17,218 a year.”
The high cost of a full-time chief, fewer grant opportunities and a reduction in fundraising revenue are some of the disadvantages of a municipal department cited by Morris but he said there is an upside in cost savings, operational savings, service level and safety benefits and other efficiencies.
Other benefits with a full-time chief in Morris’ report include better response time, an increased focus on training, decreased firefighter burnout and better department oversight on costs.
The 29-page report will be available on the town’s web site.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
