Brentwood budget committee approves $1.29 million fire budget after chief warns of staffing shortfall

Fire Chief Roy told the Brentwood Town Budget Committee on Dec. 22 that the fire department has shifted from a call/volunteer model to a largely full-time and per-diem operation and currently staffs two personnel on duty — "bare minimum staffing" — but needs three to enter a burning building. "We can't actually go into the building and put the fire out with 2 people, you need 3 people," Roy said, describing a recent house fire where a third person made the difference in salvaging the first-floor contents.

Roy said he asked select board members to consider adding a per-diem 24-hour slot as a warrant article for the town meeting; budget documents shown at the meeting estimated that adding one per-diem 24-hour slot would cost about $300,000 a year, while hiring a full-time slot with benefits would cost roughly $392,000. He emphasized the per-diem option to avoid benefit costs and to provide immediate risk mitigation while the department works on long-term staffing and retention.

Committee members and residents questioned mutual-aid reliability and the department's ability to respond to commercial or industrial fires. Roy said Brentwood has a longstanding mutual-aid compact with neighboring towns including Kingston, Epping and Exeter, but those departments are also under staffing pressure and response times can vary. He added the town is running approximately 1,100 calls this year and that training and equipment costs — including bunker gear approaching $78,000 per person — have risen sharply.

Several members pressed for clearer accounting of the fire revolving account, which Roy said covers EMS billings, ambulance costs and the EMS captain's salary. A member of the public, identified as Mr. Miller, asked about revenue lines and whether the department could recover more costs through billing; the chair and Roy said the department bills insurers and places revenue into a revolving account but that the chief has had difficulty getting detailed receipts and line-item reconciliation going back multiple years.

After discussion and public comment the committee took a roll-call vote and approved the 2026 fire department budget at $1,288,790. The recorded tally was five in favor and one opposed. The chair said the chief will pursue a warrant-article approach and further public outreach (a "Warrant article" and an informational write-up were discussed) before a final funding decision at town meeting.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the fire department budget (2026) at $1,288,790 (roll-call: 5 yes, 1 no); also approved during the meeting: Recreation budget $141,250; Animal control $10; Mosquito control $29,200; Street lighting $1.

What happens next: Roy said he plans to prepare materials for a warrant presentation and a community article to explain options and costs; the committee requested additional revolving-account detail and asked the town administrator to be prepared to explain revenue reconciliations in a future meeting.