Safety Facts
Alarm Age Fact Sheet
Why NFPA recommends home smoke alarms be replaced after 10 years Smoke alarms are one of the most important safety features of your home. Properly installed, working smoke alarms will give you the early warning you need to safely escape from a fire. But how do you make sure your alarms are working? One important …
Can We Find You?
The Brewster Fire & Rescue Department would like to ask all of the town’s residents to see if their house numbers are on their house and visible from the street. If not, please place or replace the house numbers so that we can find you quickly if there is an emergency. Post your house numbers …
Carbon Monoxide Risks at Home
Recently, public attention has focused on the risk of carbon monoxide (or CO) poisoning in the home. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) prepared information to help people protect themselves and their families against CO poisoning. What Is Carbon Monoxide? Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fossil fuels (such as gasoline, …
Smoke Detector Fact Sheet
How effective are smoke detectors?Residential fire deaths have decreased steadily as the number of homes with smoke detectors increased. Reports from the National Fire Protection Association on residential fire deaths show that people have nearly a 50 percent better chance of surviving a fire if their home has the recommended number of smoke detectors. Should …
Christmas Tree Fires
Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer. Facts & Figures* In 1998, Christmas trees were the first item ignited in 300 home fires, resulting in 11 injuries and $8 million in direct property damage. The leading cause of Christmas tree fires and property damage was short circuit or ground fault (21%). …
Halloween Fire Safety
To protect children participating in Halloween activities from fire and burn injuries, experts at the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) say to plan ahead. “Taking simple fire safety precautions, like making sure fabrics for costumes and decorative materials are flame resistant, can prevent fires,” says Meri-K Appy, NFPA assistant vice president for public education. …
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Brewster Fire Department
Official Facebook page of the Brewster, Massachusetts Fire Department
Brewster Fire Responds to Overturned Fuel Oil Truck![]()
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On Friday June 24 at 7:38 p.m. Brewster Fire/Rescue responded to an overturned fuel oil truck at the intersection of Long Pond Road and Twinturn Road. On arrival units found the rolled over 3,000 tanker leaking fuel oil with the driver trapped in the cab area. Brewster firefighters immediately began the process of patient care and extrication. The Harwich Fire Department was requested to the scene and assisted with the extrication process and capture of the leaking oil. After an approximately 30 minute difficult extrication the driver was removed and transported to Cape Cod Hospital. ![]()
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A Tier II response of the State Hazardous Material team was also requested for assistance in securing the vehicle and mitigation of the spill. Approximately 2,400 gallons of fuel oil leaked from the vehicle onto the roadway, adjacent grass areas, and catch basins. The DEP and a certified hazardous material clean-up company responded to the scene and will be responsible to manage the clean-up process. ![]()
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Brewster Fire would also like to thank the following responders for the outstanding assistance they provided during the incident. Brewster DPW, Brewster Police, Harwich Fire, Dennis Fire, Orleans Fire, Providence Canteen Unit, Bucklers Towing, Eversource, State Police, Harwich Police, BCI.
Fire Prevention Officer/EMT Philip Burt Graduates from the Massachusetts State Fire Academy Career Firefighter Training Program![]()
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Brewster Fire congratulates Phil on his successful completion of the State Fire Academy Career Training Program. For the past 10 weeks he has traveled to the State Fire Academy in Bridgewater and Stow to hone his firefighting knowledge, skills, and abilities and obtain his Pro-Board certification. We also commend and thank his family for adjusting their daily lives and supporting him throughout the program.![]()
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All of your brothers and sisters at Brewster Fire wish you a long and successful career!
Brewster Firefighters Attend Forcible Entry Training Program![]()
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On Thursday June 23 Firefighters Matt Tucker, Alex McHugh, Matt Morthland, Chris Drumm, and Tim Johnson attended a forcible entry training program at the New England Fire Chiefs Association Annual Conference. The classroom and hands-on program was presented by Connecticut Custom Fire Training and included inward/outward forcible entry and thru-the-lock techniques, tool selection and use, and a metal cutting station. A great day of training for our staff who will now be able to share their new skills with other department members.
Brewster and other Regional Fire Departments Facing Challenging Housing, Staffing, Recruitment, and Retention Issues ![]()
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Cape Cod Times Article Tuesday, June 21, 2022![]()
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Staffing ambulances an issue![]()
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Shift to full-time firefighters and EMTs struggling to keep pace with rising populations, causes strains![]()
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Rich Eldred![]()
Wicked Local | USA TODAY NETWORK![]()
Local fire departments have responded to medical emergencies, accidents and illness for decades but the shift from volunteers and call departments to full-time firefighters and EMTs hasn't kept pace with rising populations.![]()
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A number of issues have put added stress on the departments and the mutual aid system — housing costs became an important one. The departments have persevered but Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering spoke with concern to the Orleans Select Board on June 1, and other fire and rescue department chiefs in the area agree.![]()
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"We are in trouble," Deering said. "The callback model we've had for a long time has been failing all over Cape Cod for a number of reasons."![]()
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"The model that we're using now is just not sustainable," Select Board member Mark Mathison said. "I wonder why we're not looking at some kind of shared pool of firefighters and staff between the small towns that are down here on the Lower Cape?"![]()
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The pool is essentially the mutual aid system in which one town helps another during multiple emergency calls. That only goes so far because other departments have lean staffing too.![]()
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Basically it's a math problem.![]()
"We try to keep four people on duty at all times," he explained. "Typically when an ambulance goes to the hospital it's gone two to two and a half hours. You've seen transports were up (to 225 in the last quarter). We're still running with a couple new people in training so a lot of the same people are filling the shifts. We've been watching this trend very carefully to determine — do we have the right number of people on duty at all times?"![]()
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What is the right number of firefighters, rescuers?![]()
Finding the right number has been challenging, Deering said.![]()
"With four on duty when an ambulance goes on a call most of time it transports with three members and that leaves one in the building. We try to recall two (firefighters) so we'll have three in the building. About 30% of the time no one comes back," Deering said. "Thirty to 40% of the time two ambulance calls are going on at once so we'll go for periods of time where there's no one in the building, hours at a time, every day."![]()
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Many staff members prefer to schedule their overtime on callbacks, especially if they live far away, he said.![]()
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They might come in quickly and fill the slots while an ambulance crew is out and then wind up going on two or three runs themselves.![]()
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"It happens all time," Deering said. "It's so unpredictable how long they come in for. People have a hard time planning for that — if we were at 5-7 people the living radius would be much less a concern for me because we'd have those people here and ready to go."![]()
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The town is studying the feasibility of building a new station. The existing station, built in 1986, is undersized, according to fire officials. The living quarters are above the engine bays and exhaust fumes are a problem.![]()
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Other nearby fire departments have similar staff shortages![]()
If two ambulances are out at once, Orleans has to rely on mutual aid, but other local communities are in a similar staffing crunch.![]()
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Brewster Fire Chief Robert Moran tries to have a paramedic and two EMTs on each ambulance run. He's hired new staff in recent years and the station is usually staffed with five firefighters.![]()
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"We try to maintain that on a 24/7 basis that gives us the capability to have available two ambulances or an engine on a fire call and another on an EMS call," Moran said. "I'll give you an example, one ambulance goes out we still have a minimum staff of three people because we call back an off-duty officer. Sometimes that's an issue because of housing (costs) the firefighters can't live in the area so they don't have the ability to respond quickly to a callback."![]()
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The median sale price of a home in Brewster went up $135,000 last year. Firefighter salaries as well as pay for other town workers and the Cape workforce in general aren't keeping up.![]()
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"The last three hires in the department are from West Barnstable, Marstons Mills and Centerville," Eastham Fire Chief Dan Keane said.![]()
There are a lot of fire departments between Eastham and Centerville and they're all looking for new hires, Keane said.![]()
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"It doesn't take a lot to have someone change departments and that puts us back behind the eight ball. It's a shell game. The Lower Cape is more extreme because we don't have towns to the north and south so we may not have somebody from the next town to call. It may be two towns away. But we have not seen an increase in response time. We're still getting people there in time. But it's fragile now."![]()
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Fire chiefs agree that more staff members are needed![]()
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All the chiefs would like more staff. "We need to recognize that four or three is not enough to provide the level of service this community deserves," Deering told the Select Board in Orleans. "We really should have five, six or seven people on duty so we can get two ambulances out the door right away. Right now we're relying on Eastham, Brewster and Harwich to provide that second or third ambulance — they're in the exact same position we are."![]()
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Staffing is a problem in departments across the country. On Cape Cod it's made worse by geography and the lack of affordable housing, but other factors play a role.![]()
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The pandemic shut down training facilities and retirements reduced staffing, Keane said. Eastham's department is short-handed, he said. ![]()
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"Trying to hire replacement medical personal is difficult now. In Eastham we're at 75%. It's tough to get new hires. We get the job done but it's grinding on the others," he said.![]()
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Orleans had one hire complete training in March and another will wrap up at the end of the month but one firefighter remains out with an injury. "He's been out of work since the fall. We don't know when he's going to come back now so we are down a person," Deering said. He said the department is expected to fill the open slot in July, but the prospect won't be going to the fire academy until June 2023.![]()
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Firefighting not as glamorous as before![]()
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Not only is there a smaller pool of local prospects to draw on but firefighting may not seem like the glamorous and steady career it once was, he said. "The typical firefighter to max out retirement benefits has to reach age 55 with 32 years of service," Deering said.![]()
After a firefighter retires, the person typically doesn't live a long life, based on national pension payout statistics, he said.![]()
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"There are a number of reasons for that. It's hard work to wear 70 pounds of gear every day for 32 years," Deering said. "It puts wear and tear on you. Cancer is fast becoming the leading killer of firefighters. We breathe bad stuff and we're around bad chemicals, also a mental health and suicide issue."![]()
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Keane has ideas to overcome that. "With technology more people are working from home and aren't interested in a job like this," he said. "We're reaching out to (Cape Cod Regional Technology High School in Harwich) to teach a firefighting course for credit and to stoke, no pun intended, interest because it's a great career."![]()
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Keane praised the benefit packages offered by the various departments. The fire districts in Barnstable pay 90% of medical benefits and the firefighter picks up the remaining 10%, he said.![]()
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"In Eastham the employee pays 35% so you already get a $600 raise (moving to Barnstable) because of medical. It's tough for municipalities to compete with that. We're trying signing bonuses, a longevity bonus but we haven't fixed it yet because it's just an expensive thing."![]()
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Callback firefighters get time and a half and Deering said many count on that extra time and pay. Yet, he said, the department doesn't always get people to come back to work.![]()
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"Is there a way to sweeten compensation for coming back when asked?" Orleans Select Board member Meff Runyon asked. "If we don't get a better callback record we're going be in trouble."![]()
"Every fire department on Cape Cod is struggling finding people there's a national shortage of paramedics," Deering said.![]()
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From a regional perspective every fire department would say the issues are ongoing, Moran said. "We're all struggling with issues recruiting firefighters because they can't find housing. A lot of towns have taken action, including Brewster to make housing affordable. There needs to be a good look at workforce housing for town employees, not just firefighters but teachers and other positions. New hires don't start at a high salary and they're searching for a home. Rentals are even more difficult to find."![]()
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Even when they do hire someone it may not be for long.![]()
"It's hard when other departments can offer an employee a higher salary after we've put in the time (and money) training them. Many times they're lured away by housing and a higher salary," Moran said.![]()
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This has all become more urgent, especially in Orleans, with Cape Cod Healthcare's urgent care center set to open soon on Route 6A. Deering estimated it could add 150 to 200 calls a year. However it could reduce pressure on surrounding towns, especially in Harwich where Fontaine Primary Care operates on Long Pond Road.![]()
"That's a big increase. I'm not sure we're going to be able to cover all those calls," Deering said. "Every transport generates some revenue through ambulance billing through insurance. There is some revenue to be gained if we can cover these transports to potentially offset some associated costs."![]()
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Towns are working together to come up with answers, the chiefs say![]()
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The chiefs are in regular communication and Deering asks them questions about the reliability of mutual aid.![]()
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Brewster has 21 firefighters, plus Moran and his deputy and an administrative person on staff. "Clearly you have to be concerned with burnout of personnel," Moran said. "There's only so many hours a day or a week somebody can work." He said the department is working with town officials to solve the problem. ![]()
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Fire department staffing study needed![]()
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He said the town needs a staffing study to "give us an idea of where we need to be in the future," he said.![]()
Last year, the department handled 3,000 calls, "one of our busiest years," Moran said.![]()
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What used to be a steady reliance on Orleans, for example, is changing to ease the load, said Keane.![]()
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"Now we share the load, one from Orleans, one from Brewster. So we're mixing it up," he said. "That's created a challenge and it is a grind with personnel. But we all work well together. We all meet weekly from Yarmouth to Eastham and discuss our problems. We have a great communication structure."![]()
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Still, more than communication may be needed to guarantee reliable response to an emergency.![]()
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"If we take care of the people who work at the fire and rescue department; compensation, housing, staffing, physical well being, their mental health they will provide a better service to the community," Deering said.
Line of Duty Deaths
- May 12, 2022: Ryan Erickson, Firefighter - Blomkest, MN June 28, 2022
- May 31, 2022: Brandon Yaeger, Firefighter/Driver - Reidsville, NC June 28, 2022
- May 26, 2022: Terry Cassidy, Firefighter - Cromwell, IN June 28, 2022
- Jun 11, 2022: Stephen Feron, Firefighter/Ex-Chief - Hauppauge, NY June 28, 2022
- Jun 06, 2022: Christopher Allen, Driver/Engineer - Hollywood, FL June 28, 2022