Board of Firewards — March 12, 2026

Chief Tilson submitted resignation effective 2026-03-12; Assistant Chief Matt Valeri appointed Acting Chief effective midnight. Board expressed appreciation for Tilson's work.

Betty reviewed payroll processing, invoice coding, correspondence, new member processing, state registrations, and liaison duties; board discussed approval authority transition to Matt Valeri.

Ted elected president; need to appoint new department representative and maintain communication with association and mutual aid towns.

Board reviewed draft announcement for area departments, ambulance service, and Facebook; decided to reuse prior language with updates.

Board reviewed and suggested edits to job description including liaison duties, equipment readiness, response language, certifications (Fire 2, EMT, CPAT), and residency requirement.

Board discussed expanded multi-stage hiring process with department input, scenario exercises, and reference checks; emphasized avoiding rushed timeline. Discussion of references as part of application review, noting limitations of references and the need for due diligence in a tight-knit fire service community.

Review of the failed capital reserve fund leaving $320,000 available; discussion of current-year budget impacts on gear purchases and reallocation flexibility.

Assessment of aging turnout gear condition, comparison of Morning Pride vs. Globe durability, and plan for internal inventory and prioritization of replacements.

Scheduling of overdue pump testing and consideration of transferring a deck gun from a retired engine to Rescue 1.

Review of busy call volume, a successful life-saving incident, and planning for a local recognition event separate from a larger EMS week ceremony.

a speaker expressed willingness to continue on the Board of Firewards through the chief search process and encouraged interested parties to submit paperwork before the next Select Board meeting.