Fire, Police Chiefs: 'We Need More Staff for Adequate Coverage'

Fire Chief David Durgin tells the town administrator that the department is "well past the crossroads point."

In a December 2011 memo written to Town Administrator John Coderre, Northborough's Fire Chief David Durgin detailed a 10-point request for the FY2013 budget. Among the requests was a "reminder" that the department was promised six additional firefighters with the development of the Avalon Bay apartments and Northborough Crossing. In 2013, Durgin repeated his requests for the FY2014 budget, following up his level budget requests with a "budget discussion points" memo to Coderre, in which he wrote, "I informed you last year that the department was at a crossroad relating to Avalon Bay and Northborough Crossing and their anticipated service demand impacts upon the fire and ambulance services provided by the daprtment. With continued overall …

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Carol C

12:24 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

WRITE selectmen and Coderre on these issues!! Go to a selectmen meeting. Who's on the committee? Can anyone be on it? Where has the money gone? Let's fix this before we have a terrible preventable accident and a law suit or two.   more ›

By the Numbers

Your Fire Department At the Ready

How many firefighters are at your beck and call at any given time?

The Northborough Fire Department is more than a fire department, as Chief David Durgin explained. Equipped with paramedic equipment, and paramedics, as well as firefighters and the latest fire-fighting paraphernalia, the department responds to everything from a kitten caught in a wall to car accidents. Presently, there are 16 fulltime members of the department, and 10 on-call members. At any given time, four are on duty and that includes a captain and three firefighters. Look for a profile of your fire chief soon on Northborough Patch. Has the Northborough Fire Department ever helped you out? Share your story with us in the comments section.

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