Summary
The Fire Chief was scheduled to present the Fiscal Year 2025 SAFER grant award for fire and emergency response staffing. Accepting it could bolster fire department staffing at little local cost.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 15, 2026.
Impact analysis
A federal grant would offset some fire staffing costs, though grants often carry local match obligations.
All residents who depend on fire and emergency response services.
Taxpayers absorb the $525,460 up front before any efficiencies are realized.
Mentions & discussions (5)
City Council - Oct 15, 2026
The Fire Chief was scheduled to present the Fiscal Year 2025 SAFER grant award for fire and emergency response staffing. Accepting it could bolster fire department staffing at little local cost.
Keene Awarded $1.67 Million Federal Grant to Support Firefighter Staffing
Keene Awarded $1.67 Million Federal Grant to Support Firefighter Staffing My Keene Now
Finance, Organization and Personnel Committee - May 28, 2026
Calls have nearly doubled since 2009 while firefighters are working up to 75-hour weeks. Adding four firefighters costs $525,460 but offsets about $527,691 in overtime — roughly a wash financially, with real gains in safety and fatigue.
Finance, Organization and Personnel Committee - May 14, 2026
A staffing committee will recommend adding four firefighters (one per shift) to cut costly overtime while keeping three ambulances running. Details come May 28; a resident suggested exploring part-timers, but leaders said full-time coverage is essential.
Finance, Organization and Personnel Committee - May 12, 2026
Fire runs 12 members per shift to staff three ambulances, but any sick day or vacation forces overtime, which the City Manager called unsustainable. A staffing adjustment request is expected but isn't in this budget, and Cheshire County's free ambulance backup will soon come at a charge.
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