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Need to Keep Up

I’ve been watching the Board of Finance (BOF) meetings this past year and I’ve had increasing concerns about the Fire Department staffing. My understanding is that the BOF does not agree with the fire chief about the severity of the understaffing and apparatus issue, or it acknowledges it but has not made it a priority. The BOF should not be making decisions about the necessity of emergency services because no one on the board has any experience in fire safety and medical decision making. That is why we hire a fire chief, who is an expert in his field and sensitive to the cost for taxpayers.

We need to bring North Haven into compliance with the National Standards as outlined in National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1710. This is a complicated issue, with varying degrees and nuances about the circumstances. The BOF should not be burdened with making these difficult decisions in areas outside its expertise. The Fire Department staff is exhausted working under the current conditions. Its members put their lives on the line every day, and have to work without proper staffing and equipment. It is terrible that we treat our first responders this way and put the residents of North Haven at a greater risk.

Our town’s expansion of affordable/elderly housing and Amazon (which will actually offset the costs of implementing the chief’s plan) will exacerbate the current situation and the need for emergency services. We need to keep up with the growing needs of the community. If the BOF will not implement the chief’s plan, it should hire an independent company to assess the needs of our town’s Fire Department staffing and apparatus. It is difficult for the board to remain unbiased when trying to keep taxes low. Recommendations should be binding.

Kathy Grant

North Haven