Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont internship, for Charlotte News
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services is requesting a budget change that would increase the department’s funding by 28%, citing rising costs for emergency equipment and staffing.
John Snow, the chair of the department, is submitting the budget proposal to be voted on during the in-person town meeting on Feb. 28.
“Something that’s happened in the past several years is that the cost of emergency equipment and the lead time has probably doubled,” Snow said.
The department has been aiding Charlotte for 75 years now, focusing on response services and fire safety and emergency service workshops for Charlotte residents.
The goal is to make trainings more accessible and beneficial for volunteers. Jamie Valyou, the director of emergency services and department chief, said the budget increase would cover costs for those improvements.
“We’re asking for an increase in our training budget to allow more and better training — bringing in outside instructors, or sending people to specialized schools. Those all cost money,” he said.
The new budget’s purchasing power would alleviate setbacks in gear delivery, too.
Snow said equipment delays have been a frequent issue for the department for roughly five years. The department’s ambulances should be replaced every five to seven years, he said, but delays have forced them to use a backup ambulance that is currently out of date.
“It was meant to be here in 2024,” Snow said about a new ambulance. “The supply chain delays have postponed this acquisition greatly. We are hoping to get it by the fall of this year.”
The department’s most frequent calls are medical emergencies. The first responders respond to Charlotte calls and calls in neighboring towns, like Shelburne, Hinesburg and Starksboro. These towns have similarly small fire and rescue services and depend on neighbors like Charlotte to assist them in bigger emergencies.
“We get about 500 calls (per year). Only a little over half of them are actually for the town of Charlotte,” Snow said. “All of these departments are so depleted. A few volunteers and staff, no more than one truck, mostly.”
Valyou emphasized the need for mutual aid between small towns.
“We rely on them when we are in need of assistance, and they rely on us when they need assistance,” he said. “We respond whenever we’re called in. We rely on mutual aid from neighboring towns to provide additional fire coverage when needed.”
Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services primarily relies on daytime volunteers to keep operating, but Valyou said it’s difficult to maintain reliable responders during typical daily work hours. The department recently hired another emergency responder and firefighter, but the organization is still running short on daytime staff.
“It is hard to prepare for when volunteers are gonna be ready and so when the fire tones come in, it’s unknown who’s going to respond,” Valyou said. “Our volunteer staff is low in my opinion. It is a business with volunteers, it is a business of chance. You don’t know what a volunteer’s going to be available.”
With increased benefits and wages for new members, Charlotte Volunteer Fire & Rescue Services hopes to attract even more staff and volunteers in the long run.
“I have a plan for the future of paid staff here. I would love to see there be three firefighters here every day, 24 hours a day, and two people in the ambulance 24 hours a day. And that’s the goal we’re trying to achieve,” Valyou said. “It’s going to take time, and it’s going to take community support.”