Citing snow, chief delays Manomet shift

Plymouth Fire Chief James Pierson has decided to keep firefighters on duty at the Manomet station indefinitely, rather than redeploy them elsewhere in town, citing last week's snow emergency.

''The DPW is doing a Herculean effort, but there are still a lot of intersections that are tight and all of this is affecting our response times," he said on Thursday. ''Access to homes even for the most mundane accidents is difficult, and I certainly wouldn't want to exacerbate that by responding from the outlying stations."

Citing budget issues, he had planned to redeploy Manomet's firefighting units for 30 to 45 days beginning Wednesday, leaving just two paramedics on duty there.

The Fire Department has been closing one or more of the town's seven stations intermittently since the start of the fiscal year in July, as a way to juggle money shortages and staffing needs. Pierson said withdrawing firefighters from one station for a longer period would help the department function more cohesively.

The Board of Selectmen voted, 3-2, on Jan. 18 to support Pierson's plan to cut the Manomet Fire Station's staffing.

MARIA CRAMER