LYNNFIELD — Fire Chief Glenn Davis presented the Lynnfield Fire Department’s financial plan for the 2026 fiscal year at the Select Board’s first meeting of the year on Monday.
He opened his report by underscoring the department’s goal of recruiting and retaining firefighters, something that has become a challenge with the amount of work being asked of each firefighter who often hold full-time careers outside of their service.
“We continue to add to the future,” Davis said. “This year I believe I had a net gain of one. We hired six and lost five. As long as we continue to add them, we’ll continue to do that.”
Two of those who left went to full-time departments, while two others were working on call for Davis and ultimately decided to return to their host city. Davis also reported that one recruit is currently in the academy and will graduate in a month when he will then join LFD.
Davis reported only two increases in the budget presentation. They include a 3% increase in the salary of call firefighters and an increase for hiring a fire administration assistant, something that Davis first asked for two years ago.
“It’s getting increasingly difficult to manage a fire department without a full-time assistant,” he said. “I’m the only fire chief in Essex County that does not have one. It’s a lot of work to manage the fire department, so I’ve asked for an increase there for full-time admin assistance.”
He also cited two large grants that he’s been managing. One involves the $1.2 million Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant that will be used for four new positions in the LFD. The other is a regional grant in which Lynnfield is the host community for five towns.
Along with reporting on the fire department’s budget, which totaled a 4% bottom line increase, Davis communicated to the board the requests he’s made for the five-year capital improvement plan that is currently in the process of being formulated.
High on Davis’ list of priorities was getting a 17-year-old ladder truck refurbished, something that would be significantly cheaper than buying a new one for an estimated $2.3 million.
“We think for about $250,000 we can replace all of the aging mechanicals that will give us another 10 to 15 years on this truck,” he said. “This will definitely give us a great return on investment on doing these repairs to get us further down the line.”
In the three to four months it could take to get the truck refurbished, Davis will either borrow a ladder truck from another department or obtain coverage from another community in the interim.
Other vehicular issues for the LFD consist of a broken motor on a newer engine that will cost $50,000 to $55,000, an upgrade on aging small vehicles that are becoming costly to repair, and UTV’s that will give firefighters access to wooded areas in town like Willis Woods.
“I have no way to get out there to get an injured person out of there without walking in, and if we have a fire out there in those woods, I have no way to get water out to it,” Davis said. “One would be set up with water and a hose on it to be able to combat fires, and another would be set up with a stretcher.”
Overall, Davis’ report showed that the department’s fiscal outlook was “very healthy,” and Select Board Chair Dick Dalton applauded him for giving the board “a great understanding of not just the numbers, but what’s behind the numbers.”
