TUNBRIDGE — In the wake of a new Vermont law designating every fire chief as forest fire warden, some fire chiefs, including in Tunbridge, have opted not to accept the role at this time.
Per Act 162 — an emergency management bill that went into effect on July 1— all fire chiefs in Vermont automatically assume the responsibilities of forest fire warden as a way to mitigate wildfire incidents.
But some chiefs, particularly those in smaller departments, often staffed by volunteers, say the news responsibilities risk becoming a burden.
“I was not asked to volunteer for this. I was told I would be volunteering for this, so that upset me,” said Tunbridge Chief Simon Bradford, who is circulating a petition opposing the new law.
The purpose of Act 162 was to modernize the statute that addresses fire management, and ensure local officials with knowledge and experience are leading the charge, said Oliver Pierson, director of forestry for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
The law still allows for community members to serve as deputy wardens to take some responsibility off chiefs.
In 2025, Vermont had 84 wildland fires, according to the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation– which operates under the Agency of Natural Resources. As of July 8, there were 63 wildfires so far this year.
Bradford has been with the fire department for 34 years. He said he was not aware of the legislation until a week before the state implemented it. Bradford devotes five to 10 hours per week to overseeing the department, in addition to running a small business.
“I’m just at my limit of the amount of time I have to donate,” Bradford said Wednesday by phone.
The petition is for fire chiefs only, and has garnered about seven signatures so far. Bradford believes more departments are against the new law, but may not be inclined to speak out on their own.
“A lot of times in the fire service, we just get the jobs and we do it and we don’t complain,” said Bradford.
Tunbridge averages three to five calls a day for burn permits, he said.
For now, Bradford directs Turnbridge residents to call the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner’s Office, which he noted is the only other entity beside the department that could legally issue permits.
Pierson, however, said that the Agency of Natural Resources does not intend to issue permits, as it depends on conditions in town that local officials are expected to assess.
“People are probably just going to burn without a permit, because they don’t really have any other choice,” said Bradford.
As a volunteer fire chief, Bradford earns the same stipend as all others in the department, he said. Reimbursement for additional time would come from the town, per the new law. However, the Tunbridge Volunteer Fire Department is an independent entity.
“They didn’t give us any time to figure this out, research it,” said Bradford. “… To be given this duty in seven days with no warning really rubbed me the wrong way.”
Previous forest fire warden Brenda Field, who held the role over 50 years in Tunbridge, is no longer be permitted to serve in the role, added Bradford. The Department of Forest Parks and Recreation informed town clerks, fire chiefs and fire wardens of the change in a June 24 letter.
Nearby in Bethel, fire chief Paul Feeney has similar concerns over the new law, primarily due to an increase in administrative duties without additional funding.
The Bethel Fire Department does not operate in the station but rather responds to calls as they come in. For now, the town’s existing deputy forest fire wardens are continuing business as usual as they work out the next steps, which Feeney believes is a better option than refusing to issue burn permits entirely.
“That’s not a solution to do to our citizens, but I don’t know what the right answer is here,” said Feeney.
For some fire departments, this new law doesn’t change much.
Scott Cooney, Hartford’s chief, had already been appointed fire warden by the Selectboard, so the change “fits in with the organization,” he said. The law required very little adjustment to workflow considering the department is staffed around the clock.
Similarly in Norwich, fire chief Alex Northern stepped up to serve as fire warden prior to the law.
“We don’t have to do anything, we already have that,” Northern said at the Wednesday Selectboard meeting. He will soon appoint a deputy warden.
In other cases, if a chief refuses to take on the role, a solution would likely be determined at a local level by the town’s governing body, Pierson said.
“They would have to decide how they want to continue providing burn permit services to their constituents,” he said.
Tunbridge Selectboard members Gary Mullen and Mike McPhetres did not respond by deadline to an inquiry about what a pause on permits means for the town.
If there is a wildland fire in Tunbridge, Bradford noted that the department will report it nationally as required, but he will not report it to the Agency of Natural Resources, as that is a forest fire warden’s responsibility.
If Bradford’s petition garners more support, he intends to pass it along to the Agency of Natural Resources and Gov. Phil Scott.
The main fix Bradford hopes to see on Act 162 is permission for the chief to designate a fire warden.
Pierson said that the Agency is open to hearing concerns from fire chiefs and can promote improvements to the statute going into the next legislative session.
“The legislature did pass a new statute, but that doesn’t mean that it’s set in stone forever,” said Pierson.
