Town Manager John Mangiaratti and Fire Chief Anita Arnum report that the Acton Fire Department will be launching a fire station deployment pilot program starting in February.
The Town of Acton used state grant funds to contract with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at UMass Boston to support Acton’s ongoing effort to examine the current service delivery model for fire and EMS. The goal is to explore innovative approaches that could increase operational efficiency across Acton and ensure that services, apparatus, and personnel are being deployed into the community most effectively.
As part of this pilot program, Acton Fire will temporarily consolidate personnel and apparatus into two stations:
- North, Station 4 (68 Harris St.)
- South, Station 2 (54 School St.)
Acton Fire developed this plan in collaboration with Acton Firefighters Local 1904.
The Town will be split into two nearly equal-sized districts, each to be served by a district fire station, North or South.
Consolidating into two stations will allow the department to utilize more staff per apparatus. This will ensure that more personnel can arrive at a scene or respond in a timely and efficient manner, provide better training opportunities, improve safety, and allow the department to staff an Advanced Life Support (ALS) level ambulance at each station. Currently, only one ambulance is being staffed at the Central Station.
This plan was presented to the Select Board by Chief Arnum during a public meeting held on Jan. 13 (video, beginning at 2:41). All five Select Board members expressed their support for doing the pilot and collecting the metrics. Select Board member Dean Charter called the pilot “a bold move” and provided some historical context: when the older fire stations were established Acton had volunteer firefighters, and the whistle blew, and the volunteers gathered, but times have changed.
In a subsequent interview, Board member David Martin said, “The purpose behind the changes in the pilot program is to have more firefighters on each apparatus. This has two really important advantages. First, there are multiple safety issues. Having only two firefighters on each apparatus, as we have now, is not sufficient to get started fighting a residence fire. They must wait for the second apparatus to arrive. Second, the morale and culture of each firehouse is hurt by having only two firefighters in residence.”
The pilot program will begin in February and continue for three to four months. Once the pilot program begins, Station 1 (7 Concord Rd.) and Station 3 (256 Central St.) will be temporarily unstaffed. Signs will be posted to indicate their temporary closure and contact information for residents and community members who need immediate assistance.
This is not a cost-saving measure, the press release said; the primary goal of the program is to improve the efficiency of the department in all aspects of service.
This is the first of potentially several pilot programs Acton Fire will conduct to explore service options.
In late December, the Town of Acton contracted the Collins Center using $49,500 of the $57,500 in grant funding awarded from the Community Compact Cabinet Efficiency and Regionalization grant program. The Collins Center will help monitor and report on response times, conduct a community survey, and seek public feedback as it relates to these initiatives. The pilot program is temporary and will follow specific metrics to evaluate its effectiveness over the next few months.
The press release said, “Town of Acton and Acton Fire understand that the temporary closing of two stations may cause concerns; however, the Town is thoroughly committed to the safety of residents and the community. Through this pilot program, the department will have the opportunity to address areas of concern and strive to improve response for the community and its mutual aid partners.”
Updates on the program’s progress will be shared as they become available. For additional questions about the program, residents are encouraged to view the town website at www.actonma.gov or to contact the Town services hotline at 978-929-6600.
