Is there a staffing crisis in the Tiverton Fire Department? It depends on whether you read Facebook, the town council president suggests.

Worry about the department heated up this summer, after a Tiverton firefighter quit to accept a position in Portsmouth, where pay rates are dramatically higher (see bottom). Since then, there has been a steady stream of criticism of the town’s response, much of it coming via Social Media.

Fire Chief William S. Bailey III, who arrived late last year, said the department is budgeted for 32 firefighters and is currently down by six. The pressure will ease by the end of the month, he said, when one qualified candidate is expected to be sworn in, and again at the end of the year, when a recruit is slated to graduate from the fire academy. Additionally, he said, a few other candidates are “moving through the process,” and recruitment efforts are ongoing.

He would not comment specifically on the number of fire fighters considering leaving, saying only, “I believe people are looking.”

Responding this week to online critics who have recently said town officials are not adequately addressing citizens’ concerns about a perceived recruitment and staffing crisis within the fire department, Tiverton Town Council president Denise deMedeiros said she wants to reassure the community of one thing — the town is safe.

“I’ve been on the negotiating team for 12 years, and there is always a concern about low staffing and recruiting people. Always.”

The difference is that right now, she said, many of the concerns are being aired on Social Media, and deMedeiros says she wants to be careful about the way in which she responds.

“I’m not going to negotiate a contract via the press or on Facebook or via rumors.”

Despite that, she was quick to counter claims that town officials are ignoring the problem.

She said Tiverton Town Administrator Chris Cotta and others met with the firefighters’ union executive board about two months ago, and another meeting with union reps, which deMedeiros expects will include her and other town officials, should happen soon. She has also had recent phone conversations with the union president, Rich Silva, and noted that the union contract was negotiated 14 months ago and is effective through June 30, 2025.

“They [the union] agreed to it. At this point, we will listen and see what their concerns are, and go forward from there.”

Silva, reached by phone on Monday, declined to comment.

Points of contention

In describing current pressures on fire departments, Bailey said relocating from one town to another is far easier than in prior years, when each town administered its own written exam and fitness test. Due to reforms enacted by the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs, he said the tests are now standardized and accepted by most municipalities. In addition, before reforms were enacted, a firefighter’s transfer to another town would negatively impact their pension. That is no longer the case.

These days, according to Bailey, a Tiverton employee moving, for example, to Portsmouth, is involved in a relatively seamless transfer.

“It makes all the sense in the world if in three weeks, they can bring someone in, onboard them, and by week number four, have them riding on the trucks – and for a significantly higher salary. Previously, it was more complicated to make the switch.”

Mutual Aid agreements

Responding to concerns that the town occasionally relies on other municipalities to help with emergency and fire coverage, Bailey emphasized that mutual aid is a two-way street and essential for fire departments in smaller towns, such as Tiverton, Portsmouth and Middletown.

“We are small town fire departments and when there are multiple calls or a large house fire, it’s going to require mutual aid either to go to the scene or to backfill and cover the stations.”

The mutual aid agreements and the prospect for multiple calls make it inevitable, he said, that at times Tiverton’s firefighters might be assisting another town with a call when a need arises in Tiverton.

“I know because we’ve given mutual aid, we are going to receive mutual aid. I refuse to isolate ourselves.”

Overtime

Bailey said the department “absolutely” is currently paying significant overtime. The fact that an individual was out on medical leave made the need even more acute in recent months, he said. 

The overtime budget for the current fiscal year is $200,000. By Aug. 31, two months into the fiscal year, nearly 38 percent of that amount ($75,510) had been spent, versus $36,165 in the same time period one year ago.

Fire fighter salaries — where does Tiverton rank?

According to salary requirements set forth in collective bargaining (union) contracts in Tiverton and its two closest Rhode Island neighbors:

• Tiverton's yearly rate of pay for fire fighters ranges from $38,427 on the low end up to $53,977 per year.

• Portsmouth's yearly rate of pay for fire fighters ranges from $51,906 on the low end up to $69,058 per year.

• Middleton's yearly rate of pay for fire fighters ranges from $52,000 on the low end up to $64,000 per year.