FARMINGTON — Farmington Fire and Rescue will host a public information meeting Wednesday to discuss the department’s personnel shortage and request to hire full-time firefighters.

The discussion will take place before the town meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the downstairs meeting area at the Community Center on Middle Street.

An article in the town warrant requests $434,492 for the department to cover wages and benefits for four full-time firefighters for the rest of year, or 39 weeks.

Selectmen recommend that the same amount as last year, $401,513, be appropriated for the department while the Budget Committee recommends the full amount requested.

The board wants to delay hiring of full-time personnel for a year to explore other ways to address the department’s manpower shortage, according to the warrant article.

“We are appealing to people to come learn more about what we are trying to do,” Fire Chief Terry Bell said Monday.

The meeting was set to help people understand the situation the department is facing, he said previously. A better understanding will help residents make an educated decision, he said.

It is up to the taxpayers to decide the amount of service they want and need, he said.

If the request fails, “we’ll continue to do our job and not treat anyone differently,” he said. “But we’ll need to come back next year.”

The issue of recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters is one faced by many departments across the state.

Though Bell has invited residents to the station to discuss the department’s issues, few have responded.

The department has a roster of 25 members who responded to the 434 calls for assistance last year. Ten of those members were 60 years of age and older. Fewer firefighters are responding to more calls.

A per diem staff has helped, but some have taken other jobs and are not available. Efforts to bolster membership by advertising for paid-call firefighters has yielded few results.

abryant@sunmediagroup.net

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