Second firefighter could be answer
The town of Boylston may hire a second full-time firefighter, a move aimed at strengthening a department that relies mainly on volunteers.
The department also is talking with neighboring West Boylston about sharing fire and rescue equipment, which would allow the two towns to combine limited resources and could help improve emergency response times, said Boylston Fire Chief Joe Flanagan.
Flanagan, whose own position was made full time last year, has been aiming to bolster the department as the local demand for fire services has grown. His request for money to hire an additional staffer could be voted on during the spring Town Meeting.
''The demand for our services is too great for one person to do," Flanagan said. Although volunteers respond to fire calls, Flanagan said he handles other services, such as fire inspections, himself.
The second firefighter could cost roughly $32,000, according to Town Administrator Sue Olsen, who said the salary figure is being reviewed by the town's personnel board. The town currently spends about $130,000 on fire and rescue.
While Boylston officials say the town's call firefighters are dedicated, they also note that many work outside the town, which makes daytime emergency response more difficult. The town recently began staffing its station on weekends with two volunteers, Flanagan said.
Although Boylston has been making improvements to its fire services for several months, Flanagan said a recent series of articles in The Boston Globe on a nationwide increase in fire response times helped shed light on the issue locally.
The series measured local fire departments against a response time of six minutes or less, a national standard that departments are expected to meet 90 percent of the time. According to reports filed with state and federal officials, Boylston responded within six minutes to three out of 17 fires between 1986 and 2002.
Flanagan said the stories helped local residents understand the needs of municipal fire departments. ''It didn't make fire departments look bad; it made the funding of fire departments look bad."
Olsen said she supports adding a firefighter. Jim Stanton, chairman of the selectmen, said his board would review the request. The chief has been doing a ''great job," he said, in determining the fire department's needs.
''I look at him to say, 'This is what we need to adequately cover the needs of the town,' " Stanton said.
Officials say talks about an agreement with West Boylston are in the early stages. The two towns, like many others, already offer mutual aid, meaning they assist one another on fire and rescue calls.
West Boylston Fire Chief Jack Chandler said the two departments have a good working relationship and have been considering plans to house some equipment at a shared station and eventually share some personnel. Both he and Flanagan said the towns would have to find additional money to make the plan work.
Stanton said ideas on regionalizing services are always welcome. ''I think it's always useful to have those discussions." 