Londonderry Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie Challenged by Staffing Issue

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -- Faced with an ongoing staffing shortage, the Londonderry Fire Department has several options for filling the void, Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie said Monday night.

Still, MacCaffrie said, "no matter which option we choose, it all comes down to money."

Over the past few months, town officials have reviewed the cost effectiveness of replacement coverage versus hiring additional staff, with those new emergency responders working either regular 24-hour shifts or a four-day flex-schedule.

"All of these options include variables which cannot precisely be determined, thus rendering the decision-making process difficult if based upon economics alone," MacCaffrie said.

During fiscal year 2011, there were 264 out of 365 days where there was a need for at least one of the 10 emergency responder slots to be filled via replacement coverage.

Based on those statistics, if the town hired one additional firefighter, there is a 72 percent probability that the new firefighter would end up filling a vacant shift to help the department maintain its staffing level of 10 per shift.

On the other hand, replacement coverage to fill existing personnel shifts costs approximately $53.90 per hour, including benefits costs.

The cost to employ an additional firefighter, including all benefits, is an estimated $83,841 per year.

Typically, a firefighter is compensated for 2,184 hours per year, with 193 of those hours factored in for training, sick or personal time.

"If we could do it with one person it would be cheaper, but it's impossible to do with one person," Councilor Joe Green noted. "Still, we have to get over that hump. We have to convince voters next year we need more staffing."

MacCaffrie said the department is in collective bargaining, and one amendment being debated would result in the hire of two firefighter/EMTs to work four, 10-hour midday shifts rather than the contractual 24-hour shifts.

Should the firefighters' union approve that option, that arrangement would cover 3,982 hours per year and help the department avoid around 2,950 hours of replacement coverage.

Either way, having additional staff could ultimately generate revenue for the community, MacCaffrie said, noting that Londonderry could have the opportunity to enter into contracts with neighboring towns.

The chief noted that the town of Auburn earns an estimated $87,000 per year by contracting its fire services to other communities, while Litchfield earns $171,000 annually.

The council agreed to take this information into consideration as it enters into a new budget season.