SAUGUS — The Fire Department has been asking for a third fire station for years, and the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager have made the discussion a focus for 2025.
Selectmen Chair Debra Panetta said, “This is a top priority for the Board of Selectmen. I look forward to seeing the results of the feasibility study.”
In May of 2023, a Special Town Meeting saw the approval of $400,000 to go toward the study. A feasibility study is a detailed analysis that considers all of the critical aspects of a proposed project in order to determine the likelihood of it succeeding, according to Investopedia.
This vote came after an operational study of the fire department, which was done in 2021. The study was completed by Municipal Resources Inc. of Meredith, NH. It found 40% of the response times of the Town exceeded the industry standard of six minutes from both of Saugus’ two stations, according to a release from the Town Manager’s office that year.
“The report commended the overall operation of the Saugus Fire Department while noting that first response times were beyond its control,” the release continued.
Recently, the fire department posted a letter dating back to 1980. It was written by then Chief Thomas Nolan and sent to then Town Manager Robert Cornetta. The letter said, “Being redundant, I am once again strongly calling for the construction of the third Fire Station…I sincerely hope the loss of human life will not be the reason for action to be taken in constructing this Fire Station.”
Town Manager Scott Crabtree stated in a meeting earlier this month, “I think people have to understand we’re not building a fire station. We’re building an emergency response location,” he said. “The hope is that the location would help emergency response times around the town.”
Crabtree’s statement is of key importance for transparency as he sets a clear goal for what they’re looking into.
Selectman Vice Chair Jeff Cicolini emphasized how important it will be for the board and the town manager to take a united front to combat the possible difficulty they will see when advocating for the project.
The feasibility study is a major component as to whether the town is prepared for this build. However, the fact that the Selectmen and Crabtree have heavily discussed the project shows that they are dedicated to moving forward.
