Is Grafton ready for a full-time fire chief?

Grafton Fire Chief Mickey Gauthier has a full-time job.

That, oddly enough, is not being Grafton’s fire chief.

As Gauthier nears retirement age, the Fire Department Study Committee is examining how Grafton can improve its fire coverage — without losing the call system that has served the town for generations.

The committee is recommending the hire of a full-time fire chief, along with a full-time captain in charge of fire inspection and a full-time captain in charge of fire prevention and training. It also recommends a deputy chief as a call position and on-call captains for North, South and Central Grafton who would have radios in their vehicles for fast response.

“Some of these things can’t wait,” said Ray Mead, a committee member. “And most of the things, if not all these things, cost money. And it’s not a little bit, but a big chunk of money.”

The committee was formed last March in response to Municipal Resources’ staffing study, presented in December 2018. The challenge to the town is complicated: can Grafton afford to upgrade its fire department? And can the growing town afford to ignore the challenges its current system present?

Grafton used to have the state’s largest on-call department. Its high in recent years was 65 on-call firefighters, but it has since dwindled to under 50.

And the department’s top brass are only getting older. Gauthier, who has been with the department for the past 47 years, is just two and a half years from mandatory retirement at age 65.

“We have a great deal with Chief Gauthier right now,” said Capt. Rick Allain, noting that Gauthier’s employer allows him to leave on fire calls at a moment’s notice and that Gauthier does his fire department paperwork after hours. “I don’t see us putting in a chief before he retires.”

Town Administrator Tim McInerney said previous estimates have set a minimum salary for a fire chief at $130,000. Potentially, a deputy chief could be hired to train with Gauthier, with the intent of taking over after his retirement.

While Grafton’s Central fire station was built in the last decade and includes bunk space, the North and South stations are inadequate to house anything but trucks. Improvements to those stations are not expected for some time.

“This is an enormous task,” Mead said. “This is almost starting from Day One.”