First Responders
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Benjamin Wallace Jr – Chief
Aaron Despres – Asst. Chief Duncan Wood – Captain Meriel Longley – Firefighter-Paramedic Peter Melroy – Firefighter-EMT Mario Baldi – Firefighter Jonathan Burbank–Firefighter Joshua Huntsman – Firefighter Barry Hutten – Firefighter Jon Lee – Firefighter Eliot Nixon – Firefighter Karen Elliott – EMT Christopher Manos – EMT David Brooks – Driver/operator Robert Miller – Driver/operator Randy Roux – Driver/operator |
Pietro Civita – Ambulance Driver*
Aaron Fuchs – Ambulance Driver Joseph Furlong – Ambulance Driver Kristie Jorgensen – Ambulance Driver John Moore III – Ambulance Driver Stephen Rowe – Ambulance Driver Marceline Saibou – Ambulance Driver Miguel Garcia – Trainee Nathan Jorgensen – Trainee Samuel Lemonick – Trainee Christopher Wuerker – Trainee Associate First Responders Sean Hall – Firefighter-EMT Dan Reynolds – Firefighter *Resigned |
2024 Highlights
Recruitment and Retention
In 2024 CHVFD received six new applications for first responders. Three continue onboarding training, and one completing the training and starting to respond to emergency incidents. Two have not continued for various reasons.
Two responders that joined in 2023 have completed the fire academy, with one actively responding to emergency incidents. The other has not become active responding to calls.
One firefighter has completed EMT certification and licensure. One responder that joined in 2023 also completed EMT certification and licensure. Both are active responding to emergency incidents.
Four responders have completed Emergency Vehicle Operator Training and have been signed off to drive the ambulance. Three of them joined the department in 2023, and one joined in 2024.
One long time ambulance driver resigned for health reasons.
Current active roster is twenty-six plus two associate members from OBIFD.
Apparatus
A very generous donor has provided a new fire-rescue boat to the department. Training for primary operators was complete and the boat placed into service at Safe Harbors Great Island this summer. The boat has already proven its worth responding to reported fires and boats in distress. This is a piece of equipment the department has needed for a long time, and we cannot thank the donor enough.
Planning for replacement of Squad 5 has started in earnest this year, with an expectation that it will be ordered in 2025. The new vehicle will continue to serve the same role as the current 2003 truck.
Communications Equipment
Replacement of the town’s repeater infrastructure has been completed this summer. Planning to address coverage deficiencies in our district is expected to take place in 2025.
We received new mobile and portable radios this year. Federal and state grants offset a significant portion of the expense, but not all, and more will be required in the coming years to finally replace our legacy equipment.
Community Outreach
This year a Facebook website was started, and the department website updated. In addition to communicating with the public, these platforms are being heavily leveraged for recruitment and fund-raising efforts.
Asst. Chief Despres and Firefighter-EMT Melroy continue to reach out through community events such as Cundy’s Harbor Days and the Holbrook Foundation to recruit members of our community to become a first responder.
Fire & Rescue Planning Committee
President Burbank and Chief Wallace continue to service on the FRPC. From the Annual Committee Report:
“The Town and committee worked on three significant projects in 2024.
First, the work authorized by article 44 of the 2016 Town Meeting to “plan and design a centrally located emergency services facility” was completed. 2016 is also the year the Town adopted the Municipal Firefighter Ordinance and allocated funding for the paid Town Firefighters 12 hours a day, five days a week. The Town contracted out the design and details of the centrally located emergency services facility to Port City Architects, and the final building plan was recommendation unanimously by the committee to the Selectboard on January 16,2025 after numerous planning meetings. The facility is designed to house the Paid Town Firefighters and the paramedic, provide rapid response to all areas of Town, be sufficient for the foreseeable future, and be expandable if necessary.
Second, the replacement of the existing town radio repeater infrastructure for emergency services was completed in the summer of 2024. The Town and fire departments also received replacement mobile and portable radios from state and federal grants. Future steps for communications equipment will be to address areas of the Town where the radio system does not provide adequate coverage, and to replace the remaining mobile and portable radios.
Third was the recommendation to the Selectmen that the hours of coverage for the Town firefighters be extended from 12 hours a day five days a week, to 12 hours a day 7 days a week for the upcoming year to continue to support the volunteers. It is clear that the average age of the volunteer firefighters is increasing at the same time as the number of new residents volunteering to become firefighters is not meeting pace. The committee sees a clear and present need to continue to address the shortfall of available firefighters going forward.”
To the committee report I would add that the current plan for the centrally located emergency services facility calls for the paid staff to operate from the new location while the volunteers continue to operate as they have. If in the future one or more of the volunteer companies becomes unsustainable, the new station is designed to be flexible enough to cope with the new reality.
Fire Station
This year several of the new responders have completed several projects around the Cundy’s Harbor Station such as striping the lower parking lot, managing storage, and general cleaning. In addition, VP Despres has coordinated replacement of the water filtration system
Fundraising
Fundraising outpaced expectations this year, including the online fundraising effort. However, the number of EMS transports and billing income was far behind expectations. They balanced out between the two by the end of the year. Even so, income is not keeping pace with increases in operational costs.
In 2024 CHVFD received six new applications for first responders. Three continue onboarding training, and one completing the training and starting to respond to emergency incidents. Two have not continued for various reasons.
Two responders that joined in 2023 have completed the fire academy, with one actively responding to emergency incidents. The other has not become active responding to calls.
One firefighter has completed EMT certification and licensure. One responder that joined in 2023 also completed EMT certification and licensure. Both are active responding to emergency incidents.
Four responders have completed Emergency Vehicle Operator Training and have been signed off to drive the ambulance. Three of them joined the department in 2023, and one joined in 2024.
One long time ambulance driver resigned for health reasons.
Current active roster is twenty-six plus two associate members from OBIFD.
Apparatus
A very generous donor has provided a new fire-rescue boat to the department. Training for primary operators was complete and the boat placed into service at Safe Harbors Great Island this summer. The boat has already proven its worth responding to reported fires and boats in distress. This is a piece of equipment the department has needed for a long time, and we cannot thank the donor enough.
Planning for replacement of Squad 5 has started in earnest this year, with an expectation that it will be ordered in 2025. The new vehicle will continue to serve the same role as the current 2003 truck.
Communications Equipment
Replacement of the town’s repeater infrastructure has been completed this summer. Planning to address coverage deficiencies in our district is expected to take place in 2025.
We received new mobile and portable radios this year. Federal and state grants offset a significant portion of the expense, but not all, and more will be required in the coming years to finally replace our legacy equipment.
Community Outreach
This year a Facebook website was started, and the department website updated. In addition to communicating with the public, these platforms are being heavily leveraged for recruitment and fund-raising efforts.
Asst. Chief Despres and Firefighter-EMT Melroy continue to reach out through community events such as Cundy’s Harbor Days and the Holbrook Foundation to recruit members of our community to become a first responder.
Fire & Rescue Planning Committee
President Burbank and Chief Wallace continue to service on the FRPC. From the Annual Committee Report:
“The Town and committee worked on three significant projects in 2024.
First, the work authorized by article 44 of the 2016 Town Meeting to “plan and design a centrally located emergency services facility” was completed. 2016 is also the year the Town adopted the Municipal Firefighter Ordinance and allocated funding for the paid Town Firefighters 12 hours a day, five days a week. The Town contracted out the design and details of the centrally located emergency services facility to Port City Architects, and the final building plan was recommendation unanimously by the committee to the Selectboard on January 16,2025 after numerous planning meetings. The facility is designed to house the Paid Town Firefighters and the paramedic, provide rapid response to all areas of Town, be sufficient for the foreseeable future, and be expandable if necessary.
Second, the replacement of the existing town radio repeater infrastructure for emergency services was completed in the summer of 2024. The Town and fire departments also received replacement mobile and portable radios from state and federal grants. Future steps for communications equipment will be to address areas of the Town where the radio system does not provide adequate coverage, and to replace the remaining mobile and portable radios.
Third was the recommendation to the Selectmen that the hours of coverage for the Town firefighters be extended from 12 hours a day five days a week, to 12 hours a day 7 days a week for the upcoming year to continue to support the volunteers. It is clear that the average age of the volunteer firefighters is increasing at the same time as the number of new residents volunteering to become firefighters is not meeting pace. The committee sees a clear and present need to continue to address the shortfall of available firefighters going forward.”
To the committee report I would add that the current plan for the centrally located emergency services facility calls for the paid staff to operate from the new location while the volunteers continue to operate as they have. If in the future one or more of the volunteer companies becomes unsustainable, the new station is designed to be flexible enough to cope with the new reality.
Fire Station
This year several of the new responders have completed several projects around the Cundy’s Harbor Station such as striping the lower parking lot, managing storage, and general cleaning. In addition, VP Despres has coordinated replacement of the water filtration system
Fundraising
Fundraising outpaced expectations this year, including the online fundraising effort. However, the number of EMS transports and billing income was far behind expectations. They balanced out between the two by the end of the year. Even so, income is not keeping pace with increases in operational costs.
Annual Fire & EMS Responses
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Incident Category
1 - Fire 2 - Overpressure Rupture, Explosion, Overheat (No Fire) 3 - Rescue & Emergency Medical Service Incident 4 - Hazardous Condition (No Fire) 5 - Service Call 6 - Good Intent Call 7 - False Alarm & False Call 9 - Special Incident Type Annual Grand Total |
2020
9 1 119 31 10 21 14 2 207 |
2021
9 0 114 17 21 21 13 1 196 |
2022
14 0 147 27 13 20 27 2 250 |
2023
8 0 149 31 25 34 23 1 271 |
2024
3 0 116 45 20 21 30 2 237 |