Falmouth Considers Another New Fire Station, Adding Firefighters

Falmouth MA

13 May, 2021

2:15 PM

Description

FALMOUTH, MA — Town officials are still deciding whether they want five or six fire stations in town, but either way, officials want to hire more firefighters, and perhaps even build another new station. At its meeting Monday, the Falmouth Select Board directed Town Manager Julian Suso to create a staffing model that would keep all stations open. This includes the West Falmouth station. Since July, that station has only been staffed when firefighters volunteer for overtime. "I suggest starting now to build that financial package to hire more to keep West Falmouth open even after the new Sandwich Road station is open," said Select Board member Doug Jones. Currently, Falmouth has five fire stations. There are stations in North Falmouth, West Falmouth, East Falmouth, Woods Hole and on Main Street. In April, town meeting members voted to approve the design of a new station on Sandwich Road. It will serve the northeast section of town, from Sandwich Road to the Mashpee border, Joint Base Cape Cod and toward the north. But there were discussions on whether that meant the West Falmouth station would close. When the town's advisory committee toured the West Falmouth and North Falmouth stations, committee members concluded the stations were too old to be adapted to meet the department's needs. The committee wants to see their services combined at a new station. This doesn't mean the West Falmouth Station won't at least be used temporarily. Board Chair Megan English Braga said the board never voted to close the station, as that became a concern for residents following town meeting. Still, town officials acknowledged staffing the West Falmouth station isn't a long-term solution. The board asked Suso to work with Fire Chief Timothy Smith to find suitable locations for a new station to serve the northwest section of town. Suso said the West Falmouth station is "beyond its useful life," and the North Falmouth Station can't be used much longer either. He suggested the town could ask for another debt exclusion vote for a combined station to serve both sections of town. Suso said the debt exclusion wouldn't raise taxes, and it could get added to the May 2025 ballot. The Select Board also asked Suso to find way to secure more money for additional firefighters. Smith said the department has been understaffed for years. "We would be excited for increases in staffing," Smith said. "It's safer for the staff and the town." Because of a budget increase and last year's override vote, Falmouth hired 10 new firefighters, but Smith said the coronavirus pandemic slowed training. In some cases there was a 12 to 18-month gap between hiring and getting firefighters their first shift. Smith said he expects to have all the new staff working by the end of 2021.