Groton Backs Fire Staffing Pilot Plan

Select Board · Meeting of February 10, 2026

Groton's Select Board and Finance Committee voted to launch a six-month overtime staffing pilot for the fire department. The plan, backed unanimously, uses about $400,000 of a nearly $1 million one-time state grant tied to the Nashoba Valley Medical Center closure to put four firefighters on every shift from March through September. Union president Jim Crocker said Fire Chief Art Cheeks worked 641 extra hours, or 80 extra days, in 2024 alone, and that overlapping calls rose from 16 percent to 21 percent last year.

Select Board member Matthew Pisani noted the grant must be spent by June 30, 2027. Finance Committee members pushed for clearer success metrics before backing a renewed override after last year's failed vote, with one calling the pilot "a marketing event" to build public buy-in.

In the full story:

• The Full Story
• Why It Matters
• Key Motions & Votes
• Source
• Groton's community access TV: Select Board meeting, February 10, 2026
• The complete report: 730 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of February 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.