HANSON – On the heels of being honored for his lifesaving work last summer, [See story opposite], Fire Chief Robert O’Brien Jr., outlined his fiscal 2026 budget and updated forecast of the department’s needs heading into the fiscal 2026 financial planning season on Tuesday, Feb. 11He spoke on the town’s impending override to help fund next year’s budget.
“Nobody likes the word override,” O’Brien said. “It’s never a good time to talk about staffing increases.”
But he talked about what’s gone on within the last 12 months – as well as the next 48 hours.
“[Police] Deputy Chief hit on it,” he said. “Both our ambulances were tied up in town, they [couldn’t] leave, once you’re committed on call, you’re there, legally,” he said.
The day he was speaking, the department had multiple calls deep about three times on Monday, Feb. 10 and five or six times calls deep between 1 an 4:30 pm., on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The department always runs four-person ambulance crew – consisting of a lieutenant and a crew of three firefighter-paramedics, per shift, which allows two advanced life support (ALS) ambulances while putting four people on the ground, providing four people on the fire ground so long on the fire ground for that.
To solve the staffing problems he sees in the department, O’Brien is seeking $344,000 – which would include all benefits.
“I don’t want anything hidden,” O’Brien said on the figures the department calculated about six months ago are built on three family plans and one single plan. “It’s built to show all the costs.”
The $344,000 price tag, spread over 4,378 on residential and commercial tax bills, calculates out to $82.54 a year or $20.64 per quarter on the average home to allow O’Brien to staff shifts at five people all the time. That fifth person would permit someone to be at headquarters can allow a second ambulance, when needed, to get out the door faster, he said. Overtime might have to be recalculated, but he is confident it can be worked out.
“We’re looking at average usage, and we are below where we need to be in order to keep the service where we need it,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That’s what this is about. We’re not trying to add bloat to a budget or over-staff or anything of that sort.”
“We see it – we know people are struggling,” O’Brien said. “The problem is, it’s never a good time to ask for staff.”
One third of the Fire Department’s budget – roughly $800,000 per year comes from ambulance billing.
“We do make every attempt to recall people from home,” he said, noting the recall system has been in place long before O’Brien joined the department in 1997.
When the first call comes in and the ambulance and squad are on an EMS call, unless another call comes in, the duty squad is not recalled. Once that second call comes in or if they’re going to transport with three or they end up with all four firefighter/EMTs are stuck on a call, they’ll put in for a duty squad.
“It’s hit or miss whether we get people back,” O’Brien said. “There is no rhyme or reason to it. Quite honestly, we have a vert young department, so a lot of them have just gotten married, are getting married, are starting to have families and things like that. Their significant others are professionals, so they also work. Getting people to come back on the recall system is not a guarantee.”
At the same time, the department has not undergone a shift staffing increase since 2004. But they have added a deputy chief and ensured all shifts have four firefighters and can staff up, if needed, according to O’Brien.
Call volume, meanwhile, is steadily increasing – not including the routine business of the fire prevention officer, inspections, training, people stopping in to ask directions or permits, etc.
“Right now, we’re tracking higher than average for 2025 – and we’re only about six weeks into it,” he said. There is also an increasing population of people over age 65, thanks to the increase in “over-55 residences in the last 20 years. There are also several group homes in town.
All the department’s statistics are real numbers, O’Brien noted, because they have to be reported to the state Department of Fire Services and the National Fire Agency.
To answer residents’ questions before Town Meeting, O’Brien is planning to set up coffee meetings or meet and greets at the Fire Station. They are also talking about doing an April open house.
“Everybody hears from me, being the fire chief, let people come and talk to the lieutenants, let them talk to the other firefighter/paramedics that are there,” he said. They are also planning a social media campaign to make their case to voters for the additional personnel.