BELLOWS FALLS-Meetings over the past several weeks to discuss the idea of merging the Bellows Falls Fire Department (BFFD), the Rockingham Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD), and the Saxtons River Volunteer Fire Department (SRVFD) have been both informative, and at times, confrontational.
Merging the three independent fire departments into a more cohesive single unit has been discussed and debated in Rockingham for decades, with no less controversy. Voters will decide this latest proposal at the next Annual Town Meeting, which in 2025 will be held for the first time on a Saturday - March 1.
Though some in the discussions have said that they think that the current merger discussion has been pushed by the BFFD, Bellows Falls Fire Chief Shaun McGinnis said this is not the case.
These current merger recommendations stem from Saxtons River's situation - in particular, the SRVFD's need to replace its 89-year-old firehouse.
To pursue funding for a new station, the SRVFD needs to have a feasibility study completed, so it partnered with the town of Rockingham and qualified for funds.
AP Triton, a Wyoming firm that recently consulted with Brattleboro over models for that town's EMS needs, was hired in 2023 to carry out the town's Fire Department Feasibility Study. The study's results and recommendations were presented to the community in May.
Triton's 194-page report concluded that the Saxtons River fire station, the second floor of which has been condemned for some time, was in "extremely poor," and "potentially dangerous" condition and needs to be replaced.
The study recommended that the SRVFD "should consider immediately abandoning its fire station and seeking temporary quarters until a [new] permanent facility can be obtained."
The study also laid out three possible strategies: do nothing and maintain the status quo; develop interlocal agreements among the three fire departments for sharing facilities, equipment, paperwork, and staff; or combine the three departments into one fire district.
The Triton study's findings are not binding to the town or fire departments - they serve as suggestions for the town's fire fighting future. But the consultants strongly recommended that the town would be better served by the three departments sharing personnel, equipment, and fire stations.
A paradox about the details
The details of how those interlocal agreements and possible mergers would be created seems to be the weak point in these discussions, and it has created a bit of a Catch-22 situation.
Joel Love, of Saxtons River, asserts that the town has failed to develop a fully detailed plan about how the fire department mergers would work. Without a detailed plan in hand, some have said they won't vote in favor of the merger.
On the other hand, those in favor of the merger state that it would be a waste of time, energy, and money to develop a comprehensive detailed merger plan if a majority of the town's voters aren't in favor of it.
"There has been concern expressed that this process lacks a plan," Bellows Falls Village Trustee John Dunbar agreed.
"Developing a comprehensive plan will take time, effort, and resources," he continued. "Some have said, 'You don't build a house without a plan!' While that is certainly true, you do have to commit to the process of building a house first, before the actual house plan is developed."
Dunbar noted that a lot of preparatory work has to be done "before you have actual house plans and accurate cost analysis, particularly if it needs to be customized to fit specific needs."
"All of that can't or shouldn't happen until you have a commitment to see the process through," he said. "You wouldn't spend all of the time and resources to get to the house plan stage unless you knew that all parties were committed to seeing it through."
Dunbar explained that AP Triton conducted a survey during its study that indicated that 84% of the firefighter personnel who responded to the survey support a "consolidation of two or more of the three departments."
Of the respondents who support a consolidation of only two departments, he said, 24% support merging Bellows Falls with Rockingham and 30% support merging Rockingham with Saxtons River.
"The difference is only approximately three respondents out of 38 total respondents," Dunbar added.
"The fire committee voted in favor or a merger, the three boards supported a merger," he continued. "This indicates that the personnel directly impacted by the merger along with the members of the boards and committees that have been studying this proposal for 12 to 18 months, who have been provided with the most information throughout the process, are overwhelmingly supportive of a merger."
Rockingham Town Manager Scott Pickup concurred, stating that "members of each department and staff have been working cooperatively on an intense examination of fire services, and we are hopeful that a path forward will provide fire and EMS services to our community that are cost-effective, well-equipped, and trained."
Pros and cons of consolidation
On Nov. 22, Love organized and moderated an informational meeting and discussion at the Bartonsville Grange, which drew as many as 50 people.
He stated that he felt there had not been enough "true and complete answers" from town officials about the details of the possible merger scenarios. He said that he was concerned that the "desires of the few don't supersede the needs of the many."
He questioned what he felt were the three main reasons given for the merger: that it would save money, that it would provide better service, and that it would fix control and coordination issues among the three departments.
Love, who noted that the Triton report itself states that "typically, mergers do not save money," said that in addition to the need to replace the entire Saxtons River station, at an as-yet-unknown cost, both the Rockingham and Bellows Falls stations "all need work," and equipment still needs to be purchased.
The BFFD has a full-time, paid fire chief, while the Rockingham and Saxtons River departments are all volunteer. Love and others contend that the merger could possibly create enough animosity among the departments that some volunteers would leave.
Love said that if that happens, hiring paid firefighters would add considerable costs to the fire department.
Dunbar agreed that "from a budgetary perspective, I anticipate the short-term costs may be higher as the transition takes shape and is fully implemented."
But he added that "the long-term impacts could be quite favorable due to reduced redundancy in equipment and better funding opportunities. The impact of equipment purchases on the budget has proven to be very significant, and costs are escalating as the equipment gets more sophisticated."
On the Fire Departments section of the town website, readers can find two detailed charts: one of the current fire budget for Rockingham with three separate fire departments, and a budget scenario that projects the cost of having one consolidated fire department using three stations.
Rockingham Selectboard member Peter Golec has also written publicly about the costs of merging. But critics say that, with so many unknowns, it's hard to know just how accurate anyone's numbers will be.
The will to succeed or fail
Dunbar said he is very concerned about the complex task of merging departments.
"This does not mean I think it should be avoided," he said, "but rather, the degree of success will depend greatly on the commitment by all involved […]. I believe we have the appropriate people in place in many areas to achieve this success, but that success can be hindered by those who do not wish for the proposal to succeed."
Dunbar pointed out that all three fire departments "either currently face staffing challenges or will face them in the foreseeable future" under the current structure.
He acknowledged that the proposed structure does not automatically solve this challenge, but said "it does provide a structure that allows for more streamlined sharing of resources (both personnel and equipment), which makes a strong case for faster response times and improved training across all stations."
Dunbar added that the town needs to "view our emergency response system as one team, working organizationally as one entity albeit with three stations. I believe that enhances our emergency response system as a whole."
He pointed out that the current arrangement of three organizationally independent departments, with varying levels of municipal oversight, "adds a level of complexity that doesn't necessarily promote streamlined communication, services, or support."
"It can lead to an us-them dynamic compared to a collective 'we' dynamic, consciously or subconsciously," he said - a dynamic that was underscored by the AP Triton report's findings.
If there is a foundational point of agreement on all sides of the merger debate, it is the pride that most Rockingham residents feel toward their fire departments and their volunteers. In many cases volunteers in the departments are carrying on a multigenerational tradition.
"We are very fortunate to have dedicated and highly skilled staff in all three departments who routinely risk their health and safety to provide emergency services to all of us," Dunbar said.
"While the current organizational structure has existed in this similar format for over 50 years in some cases, the challenge of providing the best possible service for the next 50 years requires a different organizational structure, one that provides opportunities for improved service, efficient use of resources and promotes professionalism and collaboration at the highest levels," he said.
'There's the door'
The Bartonsville Grange meeting was at times one of the more contentious discussions.
At one point, the meeting devolved into name calling when a couple of people in the room opposed to the merger began personal attacks, naming members of the BFFD, the Bellows Falls Village Trustees, and the Rockingham Selectboard whom they felt should be removed from their positions.
The situation became confrontational enough that some of the people named - who were present in the room - felt uncomfortable and got up to leave.
Two of the trustees, Dunbar and Taylor Pichette, stayed for the entire meeting and participated in the discussions. Dunbar asked Love to make sure that comments "don't get personal."
One of the attendees responded that if people didn't like the comments, "there's the door."
"Let's be civil," Dunbar urged. "Personal dislikes should not be part of this discussion."
Rockingham Fire Chief Kevin Kingsbury spoke up in agreement, saying that he didn't "want to hear any personal attacks."
Dunbar said that he feels "it is important for those community members who support the proposal and/or the decisions their elected and hired employees/officials make, that they express that support as a counterbalance to the opposition. The community deserves to hear all sides in a constructive format."
On Nov. 26, a well attended tri-board meeting of the Rockingham Selectboard and the Trustees from Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, discussed questions about the merger as well.
The discussions have also shown that citizens are concerned about what the language of the merger article will be.
According to Pickup, deciding on the exact language for the article will be on the Tuesday, Dec. 17 Rockingham Selectboard meeting agenda.
The article wording will be finalized for the Town Meeting warning at the Tuesday, Jan. 7 meeting.
This News item by Robert F. Smith was written for The Commons.