Police and fire department to fill some vacancies

Two weeks ago selectmen gave the police department the go-ahead to fill two vacancies in its ranks despite the current town hiring freeze. Vacancies in the fire department will also be filled, assuming there’s funding.

Interim Chief Jane Moran told selectmen the two vacancies — one for a communications officer and one for a police officer — have become available through attrition. Communications Officer Robert Fagundes is leaving to attend the police academy, and Police Officer James Finneran is retiring after 22 years on the force.

Both positions are full-time, and both are already budgeted for.

Moran said both positions are “very critical” and necessary to maintain 24×7 operations. She said if the positions are not filled, the department will likely exceed its overtime budget.

Selectwoman Bonnie Phaneuf suggested it might be more appropriate to wait until a new chief is hired before filling the vacancies, but Moran said the department is already understaffed and waiting to fill the positions could lead to a morale issue.

Southborough Police Officer Heath Widdiss, head of the local police union, urged selectmen to support filling both positions saying officers have been forced to work extra shifts because the department is short-staffed. “It breeds bad blood,” he said. “This is what we need. Please give it to us.”

Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. told selectmen his department is also short-staffed. They are down two on-call firefighters and recently lost one full-time firefighter/paramedic.

Selectmen gave Mauro the go-ahead to hire two on-call firefighters, each with a salary of $1,000 per year. They said he could advertise and recruit for the full-time position, but the decision to hire will be subject to funding.

Selectmen said whether funding is available will depend on just how deep cuts in local aid are.

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
John
14 years ago

Just like with the police department, the open full time position at the fire department is a critical need…..without it the safety of other firefighters is jeopardized. I also wonder if it impacts the paramedic/basic waiver that the ALS service runs under. Food for thought, and I hope nobody is on a diet.

sampath kumar.m
13 years ago

Just like with the police department, the open full time position at the fire department is a critical need…..without it the safety of other firefighters is jeopardized. I also wonder if it impacts the paramedic/basic waiver that the ALS service runs under. Food for thought, and I hope nobody is on a diet

  • © 2024 MySouthborough.com — All rights reserved.