Fitchburg fire chief: early results show 56% four‑person engine staffing after July policy change

Fire Chief Scott Sarver told the Committee of the Whole that the department began a staffing‑philosophy change on July 1 intended to curb overtime by changing coverage expectations for the four‑person engine seat. “We started that July 1. The first 15 days of that, the impact was we are at, 56% of providing 4 person staffing on both engines throughout the first 15 days,” Sarver said.

During committee Q&A, Sarver said he expects the monthly average could dip below 50% in the near term because of normal attrition, military deployments and staff taking career jobs elsewhere. He described recruitment efforts (high‑school and college programs) and said hiring two standard entry‑level firefighters would not immediately convert into experienced drivers or lieutenants because those skills take time to develop.

Committee members asked whether summer PTO or other seasonal factors would materially change the metric; Sarver responded that staffing trends and turnover make the near‑term baseline uncertain and that the department will report monthly metrics in activity reports.