Springfield Police, fire chiefs pitch staff boost

Pleas for additional staffing from both the Springfield police and fire chiefs have traditionally fallen on deaf ears during budget talks.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140116/NEWS02/701169934/1003

Published January 16, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield Police, fire chiefs pitch staff boost By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Pleas for additional staffing from both the Springfield police and fire chiefs have traditionally fallen on deaf ears during budget talks. But this year, with both Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston and Fire Chief Russell Thompson again renewing their calls, the Springfield Select Board seem to be more receptive. During Monday’s budget session, more than one Select Board member said they would support additional staffing for the two departments, which have racked up high overtime budgets as they cope with understaffing and increased demand for services. A final decision, however, has not been made. Johnston told Selectman David Yesman that if the board added one additional officer, it would mean a cut in his overtime budget of at least $30,000. But more importantly, both Johnston and Thompson said, was that the burnout of their employees would be slowed down. Both managers said that their employees no longer want the extra overtime money. “They want to spent time with their families,” said Johnston. Johnston said that he and Lt. Mark Fountain were coming in at 3 a.m. to cover shifts, and that he and Fountain were volunteering at the high school basketball games so there would be police presence. “It’s getting to us too. Enough is enough. We need more people,” said Johnston, who said he had been trying to get more staffing for five years. Thompson, whose department handles fighting fires and the town’s ambulance service, said that the number of calls for service were stretching his staff’s ability to respond. The staffing issue, along with how much money to spend on road paving and reconstruction, seem to be the biggest issues facing the Select Board. Yesman quizzed Johnston on exactly how much overtime would be cut if another officer came on board in the police department. With an officer costing $75,000 a year in wages and benefits, Johnston said that the overtime budget could be cut $41,000. “So, it would be $34,000 in new money?” asked Yesman, who said he would support two new police officers and reduce the overtime budget $80,000. “Everybody’s burned out, we’ve got to fix it,” he said. He said the department usually has one or two openings a year, as well as injuries to the officers, and at one point in the past year the 12-member patrol force was down to eight people. “It’s a big strain on everybody,” he said. Thompson said that the staffing levels in his department were so far below federal standards that it was futile to apply for grant funding. Claremont, N.H., recently received a federal grant for three new full-time firefighters. “Our staffing is so poor right now they won’t fund us,” the fire chief said. Thompson said hiring a new firefighter/EMT won’t automatically reduce overtime. “But at least it’s a step,” he said. The fire chief said a new firefighter/EMT would cost a total of $62,200, to cover wages and benefits. Town Manager Robert Forguites said Springfield “couldn’t afford a full-time fire department without the ambulance service.”