FARMINGTON — Farmington Fire and Rescue will ask voters at the annual town meeting in March to consider hiring four full-time firefighters.

“It’s very hard to get people to join any organization,” Fire Chief Terry Bell told the Budget Committee this week.

The department has 25 members who responded to 434 calls last year. Ten of the members are age 60 and older. The average age is 53, Bell said.

Four members live out of town and do not respond to night calls. Three are members of other departments, he said.

A paid per diem staff has helped with daytime coverage but some have taken other jobs and are no longer available. Efforts to bolster the department’s roster by advertising for call-paid firefighters have yielded few results, he said.

“I just don’t know what else to do,” Bell said. “It is my job as fire chief to bring this to you.”

His proposal includes hiring four full-time firefighters-emergency medical technicians with two on duty 12 hours a day, seven days a week. One per diem firefighter would be on duty Monday through Friday for eight hours a day.

An initial budget request of $452,751 to do this would have raised the amount appropriated by voters last year by $51,238.

Bell came back to the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee this week after making some cuts and creating scenarios for hiring three firefighters or keeping the department status quo.

According to the new proposed requests presented:

* Hiring four full-time firefighters for the rest of the year, 39 weeks, amounted to a budget of $440,675, an increase of $39,162 over last year.

* If three full-time firefighters were hired, the figure drops slightly to $432,978 or $31,465 more than last year.

* If voters decide to do nothing this year, the department’s budget request is $387,334, a decrease of $14,179 from last year.

The amounts represent 39 weeks. Four full-time firefighters for a full year is estimated to cost an additional $20,000, Bell told committee members. If the four are hired, as requested, starting pay would be $14 an hour for two of them and $12.75 per hour for the other two. 

During this week’s board meeting, Selectman Michael Fogg supported hiring four full-time firefighters. He acknowledged the need for coverage of several large sites such as the hospital, college and several apartment complexes.

“We have a lot of stuff that needs to be protected,” he said.

Resident William Crandall expressed concerns about the long-term costs to the town for full-time employees and the impact on those with fixed incomes.

“With only seven to eight people responding to a call, what are we going to do?” Deputy Chief Clyde Ross asked.

The board and Budget Committee will each make a recommendation at their next meeting but all agreed ultimately it is up to voters to decide.

Bell encouraged those with questions to contact him.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net