Nov. 09--HOPEDALE, MA-- Looking to retain volunteer firefighters and boost the department's staff, Chief Thomas Daige has proposed a new kind of position: a call firefighter candidate.
The role would provide officials a reserve of prospects looking to join the ranks of the department's dozen -- and soon to be 16 -- call firefighters.
Those jobs tend to see a high turnover rate, he said.
"The openings are growing. The number of vacancies are growing," Daige told selectmen this week. "The time it takes to get these guys through the hiring process we have now is taking too long."
Hiring a call firefighter -- a part-time position that includes a stipend -- generally takes between six and eight months, he said.
A written test, a physical test, an interview and then an official appointment by the Board of Selectmen are all needed for candidates to land the job.
Daige is looking to simplify that process and get more hands on deck much sooner.
Presenting his proposal to create what he called a "call firefighter candidate" position to selectmen, he said he'd prefer to bring applicants straight into the interview and background-check process.
From there, they would be trained and essentially become like any other firefighter for a six-month trial period, minus a stipend.
With 10 applications pending for only four available call firefighter positions, Daige said he already has the interest to begin filling the candidate jobs.
Selectmen say they're on board.
"I think the sense of the board here is full speed ahead -- let's see what the implications are, and if it's a model that we pioneer, it's much better," Chairman Thomas Wesley said.
But a few questions must be answered before officials can start handing out uniforms.
The board said it must consult Town Counsel to determine whether Daige is legally allowed to appoint candidate positions himself.
Furthermore, officials must determine how the town's insurance policy would cover call firefighter candidates.
"If they're doing this, on their own without getting paid, they're taking a risk," said Selectman Louis Arcudi III, who first raised the question at Monday's board meeting.
The department would rent firefighting gear to avoid spending money on purchasing them, should a candidate decide to leave, Daige said.
The board said it would meet again in two weeks to continue discussing the proposal.
"At the end of the day, you need to have a full slate of officers to go fight fires and maintain public safety," Wesley said. "And that's what we're trying to do."
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