22/07/2026
Staffing Matters!
Last weeks six alarm fire on Columbia Street demonstrates the importance of adequate staffing. The Ayer Fire Department has a minimum staffing level of four full time personnel. This is maintained 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These four personnel work a 24 hour shift, followed by 72 hours off. Vacations and Sick Calls are filled by other members working overtime. The four on-duty members are supplemented by the Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and Fire Prevention Officer, who work a daytime, administrative schedule. When one of these three personnel takes a vacation or sick day, or must attend meetings or other commitments, there is no filling of their shift with another member. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, there is one per-diem day shift, which is filled by a member of the call department. Lastly, we have recently begun staffing an “Impact Shift,” which consists of two 10 hour shifts every day of the week to provide additional EMS coverage.
The Impact Shift is currently funded by an appropriation from the State Legislature that was awarded in the wake of the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center. The Impact Shifts began in early April, and have already proven enormously valuable in ensuring more complete coverage with our new, longer transports. The most visible example of this so far was last week’s six alarm fire. At the time the fire was dispatched, the ambulance was at Leominster Hospital with the two Impact personnel. Impact Staffing allowed Engine 2 to respond to the fire with a full crew of four firefighters. If we didn’t have the additional personnel afforded by the Impact staffing, the first arriving engine would have been woefully understaffed with only 2 firefighters. The effectiveness of a fire company is directly related to crew size, with four person crews being able to complete tasks more efficiently and in a safer manner than two or three person crews.
The state funding for the Impact Shifts is currently set to end on June 30, 2027. It is unlikely to be renewed. Since the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in 2024, our reality has been longer transport and turnaround times for both ambulances and the paramedic intercept vehicle. This means more hours per day that personnel are out of town, unavailable to rapidly respond to the next emergency.
Local 2544 urges all Ayer Residents to support the continuation of funding for the Impact Shift after June 30 2027. The additional staffing has already proven invaluable in day-to-day operations, and the impact it has on a major incident cannot be overstated.
