Hopkinton Fire chief asks for a full-time EMT/firefighter

Bow Editor — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:50:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

After six members of his department left in September, Hopkinton Fire Chief Rick Schaefer is now looking for the town to approve money for a new full-time paramedic.

During a Monday, Jan. 7, selectmen meeting, Schaefer asked board members to bring a warrant article to voters, saying he needs the extra position to keep ambulance services running smoothly.

Selectmen voted 5-0 to present the article at Town Meeting on Saturday, March 15. The draft version of the warrant article asks, “to see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $52,846 and authorize the Fire Department ambulance to recruit and hire an additional full-time paramedic/firefighter.”

Currently, the department includes five full-time ambulance workers, seven total for the department. The department is structured so that Monday through Thursday evenings are covered by on-call workers, who need to be within three miles of the station between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Schaefer said the new position is a necessity for his department to continue providing reliable services to the town.

“I can’t guarantee the ambulance is going to go all the time without this position. It would be delayed, and it would come from another town,” he said. “Without this, we would be relying on mutual aid for night calls. We still have some dedicated people, but some people do it for so long that they don’t necessarily want to do it any more.”

Schaefer would ideally like to ask for one more full-time position at some point in the future.

“My job is to provide service 24 hours a day, and this is the only way to do that. If this (warrant article) goes through, the next time we ask for one, the department will be 24/7. It gives me a lot more resources,” said Schaefer. “Hopefully, it will go through, and last for a long time.”

The biggest issue is finding people willing to volunteer, a problem many fire and ambulance departments are having around the country, said Schaefer.

“The problem is that no matter what area it’s in, people just aren’t necessarily able to find the time to volunteer as much lately,” he said. “I’ve discussed this issue with people and gone to seminars. Not that it makes you feel any better about it, but it’s a problem people are having everywhere.”

If the warrant article is approved, it would include a salary of about $33,000, with the remainder of the $52,846 made up of benefits, uniforms and other items.

Hopkinton’s Town Meeting is Saturday, March 15, at Hopkinton High School, beginning at 9 a.m.

Hopkinton News : EMT

Hopkinton Fire chief asks for a full-time EMT/firefighter