Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Firewards · Sunapee · August 28, 2025.
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Public misconception about fire and ambulance services — board acknowledged the gap but took no action to inform residents
Sunapee Board of Firewards (8/28/25): A board member said municipal ambulance service won't happen for 20 years. Sunapee has no local ambulance — New London covers it. Do you know that? Many residents and visitors don't.
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Aging, incompatible radio equipment and coverage gaps creating public safety risk with no secured solution
Sunapee fire dept (8/28/25): Some radios are from 2001 and not P25 compliant. Dead spots confirmed in Perkins Pond and George's Mills. No funded fix yet — just grant research. That's your emergency communication system.
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New fee affecting oil-heated homes and businesses, with limited public notice prior to implementation
Starting now, Sunapee property owners with oil burners will pay a new $25 permit fee. Approved at the 8/28/25 Board of Firewards meeting. Funds go to a fire dept revolving fund. Applies to state-required permits.
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Vulnerable resident safety planning at local care facility left unresolved in the public record
At 8/28/25 Sunapee Firewards meeting, the board discussed evacuation planning for a second-floor hospice patient at Sunapee Cove — prompted by a MA nursing home fire. No finalized plan was documented on the record.
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🧵 Sunapee Board of Firewards met 8/28/25. The meeting was mostly routine — but a few things every resident should know came up. Thread:
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1/ Sunapee does NOT have a local ambulance. New London's service covers the town. The board discussed how many residents and visitors don't know this — and then took no action to tell them. That gap isn't just a PR problem. It affects emergency response expectations.
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2/ One board member said municipal ambulance service is "not happening for 20 years." Cited low call volume, staffing complexity, and cost. That may be the right call fiscally. But residents deserve to hear it clearly and officially — not buried in a meeting discussion.
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3/ Radio equipment: some units are 25 years old and not P25 compliant — meaning they can't interoperate with modern systems. Dead spots confirmed in Perkins Pond and George's Mills. The Harbor Hill repeater isn't installed yet. No funded solution is in place.
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4/ New fee: $25 for state-required oil burner permits, effective now. Private event fire detail rates also approved. Funds go to a department revolving fund. If you heat with oil, this applies to you.
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5/ The board discussed evacuation planning for a second-floor hospice patient at Sunapee Cove nursing home — prompted by a deadly fire in Massachusetts. No finalized plan was recorded in the public record. This deserves a follow-up at the next meeting.
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6/ Vehicle replacement: the Chief wants to swap a 2013 Ford Explorer (a police hand-me-down) for a utility truck to comply with state cancer prevention rules requiring clean cabs. No decision yet — usage data being gathered first. Watch for this in the budget.
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7/ Bottom line: Sunapee runs on a volunteer fire department with aging radios, no local ambulance, and service gaps some residents don't know exist. These aren't criticisms of the firefighters. They're facts taxpayers should have in front of them. /end
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Longer-form draft.
📋 SUNAPEE BOARD OF FIREWARDS — August 28, 2025 The board held its regular meeting last Thursday, and while the tone was routine, several items have direct implications for public safety and what residents are actually getting for their tax dollars. The most significant: Sunapee has no municipal ambulance service. The town relies on New London's ambulance for emergency medical transport. The board openly acknowledged that many residents and visitors don't know this — they assume Sunapee has a full-time fire department with local ambulance coverage. The board discussed this misconception at length, then took no specific action to communicate the reality to the public. One board member stated plainly that a town-owned ambulance service is not feasible for at least 20 years, citing insufficient call volume, staffing requirements, and cost. That assessment may be financially sound — but Sunapee residents deserve to hear it as a clear, public statement, not as a passing comment in a meeting most people don't attend. On equipment: the fire department is operating with a mix of radios, some dating to 2001 and not compliant with the P25 interoperability standard used by modern emergency systems. Radio dead spots have been identified in the Perkins Pond and George's Mills areas. The new Harbor Hill repeater — which should help — is not yet installed. Grant research is underway to fund new radios, but no money is secured. Separately, the board discussed a new $25 fee for state-required oil burner permits (affecting any Sunapee property heated by oil) and new detail rates for private events, with proceeds going to a department revolving fund. Also discussed but left unresolved on the record: evacuation planning for a second-floor hospice patient at Sunapee Cove nursing home, prompted by a recent deadly nursing home fire in Massachusetts. The Chief is engaged with facility staff, but no finalized plan was documented. Residents with family members at Sunapee Cove may want to follow up directly. The board also moved to a non-public session at the end of the meeting for a personnel matter, approved unanimously. Official minutes have been published — links in comments.