Selectmen approve new firefighters contract for more full-time staff
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Selectmen and the members of the town's Fire Department have reached a new contract agreement that will allow them department to add another full-time firefighter.

Selectmen signed the new contract at their meeting last week, which reduces the average workweek to 42 hours a week instead of 48 hours. The amendment to the contract allows the department to added another full-time employee with a small increase to the departments budget.

This is the sixth full-time firefighter for the department plus the chief and the department's captain.

The amended contract becomes effective on Sept. 1, and will expire on June 30, 2009.

The contract amendments also revise the amount of sick and vacation time firefighters can accrue during the course of the year.

"We tried to be fair to everybody," said John Fairbanks, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

Voters approved this switch of funding and the hiring of the additional firefighter at the Annual Town Meeting in May. Voters agreed to appropriate the

"If it had not been approved then we couldn't have done it," Fairbanks said.

The Fire Department advocated for these changes stating there would be additional coverage because adding another full-time firefighter would bring the staff up so each shift is covered by two full-time firefighters.

The shifts are currently filled by hourly or part-time firefighters.