PUTNEY — The town selectboard has voted to temporarily suspend the services of its fire department in the wake of the sudden departures of its longtime chief and a dozen of its volunteer members.
Local leaders of this community of 2,617 people commissioned an independent operational analysis that, upon release in February, outlined the statewide and national struggle to recruit and retain on-call personnel amid rising outside-work demands and department training requirements.
“Managing volunteer organizations is inherently challenging in the best of times, and changing demographics, community expectations, and social influences can undermine their sustainability and effectiveness,” the study by AP Triton Consulting said. “Putney FD does not appear to be immune to these same types of issues and their impacts.”
Local leaders had no sooner received the report when, two weeks later, Thomas Goddard — the town’s 22-year fire chief as well as its health officer, emergency management director and 911 coordinator — announced he would retire March 18.
In response, the selectboard held a March 27 meeting about the department’s future that exposed internal friction.
“Most of the problems are actually pretty small,” Brian Harlow, a firefighter as well as the town’s highway superintendent, told the board. “It’s just that they festered for so long.”
After the meeting, a dozen members of the department submitted their resignations April 2, leaving it with only a few soon-to-depart Landmark College students and a roster of resident names that officials can’t guarantee are still active and fully trained.
“This was an agonizing decision since caring for the community is the top priority,” 16 former and current members wrote in a public letter. “Serving the community in this manner requires the trust and support of town government, and unfortunately the last few years saw an erosion of this.”
The selectboard, meeting again April 3, then decided to temporarily suspend the department’s services as the town tries to build back the membership.
“The people that we have lost have years of experience,” Town Manager Karen Astley told the board. “This is going to take some work.”
In the meantime, Putney will cover fire calls through mutual aid from neighboring Brattleboro, Dummerston and Westminster.
The town’s emergency medical technicians, for their part, will work under the license of Windham County’s largest ambulance agency, Rescue Inc.
The recent problems are unusual for a fire department that has served the town without interruption since residents purchased their first 700 feet of water hose at the turn of the 20th century.
Then again, the challenges are seen in other volunteer organizations throughout the state and nation, AP Triton Consulting noted.
“The fire chief shared that it has become common for him to be the only available person to respond to emergency calls during daytime hours on most weekdays when volunteer fire personnel are out of the area for work, school, or family commitments,” its report said.
Despite the departures, a majority of members say they’re open to more discussions.
“Over the coming weeks and months, it is our hope and expectation that more transparency and communication will lead to a renewed understanding of emergency services in town government,” the 16 former and current members wrote in their public letter. “The members past and present wish to extend their willingness to be part of the effort to vision, plan and rebuild the Putney Fire Department in collaboration with the selectboard and the community.”
