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Date: 8/15/2023
SOUTHAMPTON — Concerns about equipment maintenance, facilities conditions and having enough staff are the main takeaways from a detailed report on the state of the Fire Department.
The report, presented to the Southampton Select Board at its Aug. 1 meeting, outlined several significant issues that the town will now use to move forward with both its search for a new fire chief and its plans for a new public safety building.
Russ Anderson, former fire chief for both Granby and Southwick, gave a detailed 45-minute presentation on the strengths and weaknesses of the department and its facilities.
Anderson noted that the current staff and volunteers appear to be a “very dedicated” group and that staffing for fire and EMS is a national concern.
One of the biggest concerns for Anderson was the current condition of the fire station, both in terms of its age and layout as well as the general upkeep of the building. There is not currently enough room to appropriately house the trucks. Air quality concerns also exist because of the inability to vent out the exhaust from the trucks. However, he also encouraged the department to do a better job with its cleaning of the facility.
“[The facilities] make every element of everything in this book difficult,” said Anderson.
He encouraged the town to get an air quality study of the station that looks for both air and contact particles and to explore temporary facilities that would be a better fit until a new public safety building can be built, since a new building is likely at least three to five years away.
He suggested different hiring situations that would get the town 24-hour fire and EMS coverage. These included different variations of hiring new personnel as well as having other cities, such as Easthampton, provide coverage during the night-time hours.
Among his recommendations, Anderson suggested that all the fire trucks receive a 1911 inspection which would alert the town to the most pressing issues that would need to be addressed first. He noted that nationwide it’s taking a couple years for fire trucks and ambulances to be delivered after ordering them, so maintaining the current vehicles is a necessity. According to Anderson’s report, maintenance for the vehicles is currently underfunded.
Select Board Chair Christine Fowles noted that most of the items of concern will need to wait until the new fire chief is hired, but they can begin working on some of them now, such as applying for grants for new vehicles.
Anderson also offered some ideas for what the town should look for in its new chief: strong training, human resources and EMS experience, grant success and a strong desire for community involvement. The new chief should also be considered a part of the executive team for the town, he said, noting that having fire chiefs operate in isolation doesn’t usually work.
“This sets up the blueprint for the job description for the next fire chief,” said member Jon Lumbra.
The board expected to take some time to digest the length report an to share it with Rich Fasoli, the interim fire chief.
In other action, the board approved and signed the contract with HKT Architects to complete the public safety building feasibility study. It is expected to be completed by March 2024.