Police and fire chiefs in Spencer cite staffing shortfalls and equipment needs

Police and fire leaders briefed the Board of Aldermen on staffing and equipment pressures that town officials said will affect service levels and budget planning.

Police Chief (speaker 9) said the department is currently short roughly six sworn officers, with four open positions, one frozen posting and one officer in training. "We're 6 people down right now which is pretty substantial for an agency our size," he said, adding that about eight officers have left in the past 15 months, often for higher pay at the county sheriff's office.

The chief described steps the department is exploring, including a public-safety career development program that would provide promotion ladders and financial incentives to improve retention.

Fire Chief (speaker 2) described a steep increase in call volume: "We're 135% higher call volume today than we were 5 years ago," he said, and noted ongoing strains from part-time staffing shortages and overtime that is already in the negative for the year. He outlined challenges with a reserve 2008 engine in need of body and radiator repairs, and that long lead times for new apparatus (two to three years) are pushing the town to consider refurbishment or used trucks as more realistic near-term options.

Both chiefs and the town manager said grant programs such as SAFER have been pursued but the town's recent applications were unsuccessful. Officials urged the board to consider multi-year budget planning, alternative grant strategies and possible advocacy or lobbying support to pursue federal/state funding and hiring incentives.

The board heard that modest fleet purchases were achieved this year using vacancy savings, but broader multi-year replacement planning will be required to avoid concentrated capital costs in a single fiscal year.