Candia selectmen voted not to move forward with fire department plans calling for a paid, full-time chief’s position and annual stipends for firefighters.

“I think the board agrees we will have a full-time fire chief at some time, but it could be five years from now or 10 years from now,” said selectmen Chairman Clark Thyng. “It’s just not going to be now.”

Fire Chief Rudy Cartier drafted two warrant articles related to paying firefighters beginning next year.

The first asked for a full-time, paid chief’s position, with salary and benefits totaling about $70,000 a year.

Cartier, who’s been chief for three years and who oversees the department’s roster of 36 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians, said the chief’s job has become increasingly demanding in recent years.

Cartier said he now spends about 700 hours a year – on top of his full-time job – doing fire department duties like safety reviews, professional development, training, planning department reviews and emergency call responses.

He said he proposed the paid position because, “I can’t ensure that we’re going to provide adequate fire and (emergency medical services) to the citizens at all times.”

Cartier noted several similarly sized surrounding towns – including Auburn, Raymond and Nottingham – that all have full-time fire positions.

Thyng said the board appreciated the work Cartier put into the request, but said the wording of the proposed article was unclear. He also suggested there needs to be more involved input from residents on how they perceive the fire department.

“If we’re going to move something onto the ballot,” said Thyng, “it’s got to be crystal clear what the issue is at hand.”

Selectmen voted also to not move forward with a request to provide stipends to the town’s volunteer firefighters.

The stipend request asked for about $42,000 a year, and asked to give volunteers stipends from $750 to $5,000 annually, based on job duties. Cartier said he drafted the warrant article with the hopes of recruiting and retaining interested volunteers, which he said have become harder to find over the years.

“It actually costs people to be in the fire department,” said Cartier, noting transportation and some training costs volunteers often get stuck with.

An all-volunteer department is deficient especially during the daytime hours, said Cartier, when volunteers are working normal jobs.

Thyng said the stipend warrant article, however, was also unclear. He said the board agreed volunteer firefighters should be recognized further for their efforts, but said he wasn’t sure the warrant article provided the right answer.

“We understand our firefighters are brave individuals,” he said.

The selectmen did agree to move forward with a third fire department warrant article asking for a deposit in a fire apparatus capital reserve fund, though they reduced the requested amount from $75,000 to $50,000.

Cartier said he’s not disappointed in the selectmens’ decisions, and said he looks forward to communicating with more people in town this year about the fire department’s long-term goals.

“This isn’t something I’m going to jump up and down and pound my fists over,” he said. “I understand it would be a major philosophical change in the way the fire department operates.” This is the first full year the Candia Fire Department operated under the authority of the town, rather than as an independent volunteer organization.