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Grant would help fund three more fire fighters

By Jason Poole

Reminder Correspondent



WILBRAHAM Wilbraham Fire Chief Francis Nothe met with the Board of Selectmen last Tuesday to get approval to apply for a federal grant that would allow him to hire an additional three employees.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency would pay 80 percent of the money for the additional staff in the first year with the town picking up the final 20 percent. By the fifth year of the grant, the town would pay 100 percent of the salaries for the three new employees.

If the town is unable to pay its portion at any point in the five-year period, the funding will cease and the positions will be eliminated. The town will not be responsible for paying back any of the funds it received before the grant was terminated.

"We are realistic people. We're just informing you of what we need, if the funds aren't there they aren't there," said Nothe.

According to Nothe, the Fire Department currently spends about $200,000 a year in overtime pay. With the creation of the new positions, he believes he will save the department between $60,000 and $90,000 a year.

"We continue to wear our people out, the system is starting to break," said Nothe.

The Fire Department responds to approximately 2,000 calls a year. About 1,400 of those are ambulance calls, with that number increasing every year because of the growing number of seniors who live at home by themselves and need medical attention.

With the additional employees, Nothe said the Fire Department would be able to have four shifts with six employees on duty. At the moment, there is an average of 4.3 employees per shift. This is a leading cause for the need to call in other employees for overtime.

Nothe said that it is increasingly harder to get firefighters to come in for overtime hours because the firefighters have other responsibilities outside of work.

"We are not getting the response on [overtime] calls that we used to get," said Nothe.

Selectman David W. Barry wanted to ensure to citizens of the town that this new grant is not related to the opening of the center fire station. Barry was concerned that citizens might feel adding additional employees to the staff was the intention of the department for the whole time.

The Selectmen agreed that Nothe should apply for the grant, but before the Department can accept it, they must meet with the Finance Committee.

Nothe said the Department would know if they receive the grant sometime in the fall.

The Board also met with Sergeant Gary J. Pabis to recognize his performance in the rescue of a young boy who was struggling in the water after his paddleboat capsized at Spec Pond on May 17.

Pabis was the first official to arrive on the scene and entered the water to relieve Recreation Directory Brian Litz, who was already in the water helping the boy.

"You are the perfect hero, your probably the most modest person I know," said Selectman James E. Thompson said to Pabis.

The Selectmen are scheduled to meet again on July 18 at Town Hall.