Westwood MA
6-01-2025 12:09am

OPINION: Voting "Yes" to Move Forward with New Fire Station 1 is Fiscally Responsible and Critical to Public Safety

By Kathy Wallace

Despite claims to the contrary, the new design for Fire Station 1 is right-sized. Every inch of the proposed Fire Station 1 Project has been substantiated. Every firefighter had input in the process. Every necessary board in town unanimously approved the design. Every aspect of the project has been competitively bid. This process, and this project, clearly demonstrate fiscal responsibility.

Fiscal responsibility includes: funding critical infrastructure, providing rapid emergency response, offering a workplace that protects the well-being of our firefighters, and planning for the future. These measures both ensure public safety and avoid unnecessary costs.

Public safety needs are not the same in every community. Every town has different demographics, geography, and characteristics that dictate the size, scope and location of a fire station. The physical layout of Westwood necessitates two stations. This fact was documented by the operational study. All of the documentation from the study and the Fire Station 1 project is on the town’s website.

The Westwood Fire Department responded to over 4000 calls last year. Call volumes and types of calls drove the design process of the new FS1. What frontline equipment needs to be in the go position at all times? How many firefighter/paramedics do we need now? How many firefighter/paramedics will we need in the future?

Claims that the building is too large are misguided. The design includes 10 bedrooms. We have 7 or 8 staff on duty at all times. The 2 or 3 additional bedrooms allow for growth, and provide accommodations when more staff are called in for storm coverage. The design includes 12 bathrooms. Two of the bathrooms are for the public, two of the bathrooms are outside the training room (as required by code), one bathroom is in the lower level for the mechanic (as required by code), one bathroom is for the 5 administrative staff. Most importantly the remaining six bathrooms with showers are for the firefighters. Our emergency responders often return from calls having been exposed to bio-hazards or bodily fluids as well as volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that are by-products of combustion. These cancer-causing chemicals have been shown in numerous studies to coat and permeate the skin of the firefighters. Fire personnel should shower as soon as possible after being exposed to products of combustion or other contaminants. Showering within the hour is the industry best practice. Having multiple showers at the fire station is more essential now than ever. Not only do our first responders deserve quick access to a shower, but this quick access also allows them to get back in service to respond to the next call. When there is an emergency, seconds truly do matter.

I truly understand the concerns about the cost of living in town and the frustration with a perceived lack of long-term planning and prioritization; however, voting against this project is not the solve for all of these issues. Westwood needs this station, and we need it as designed. Town Meeting approved this project on May 19th by a vote of 503-164. There is one more necessary vote needed for this project to move forward. Looking ahead, we need more community engagement in town governance. We should share our concerns through the channels where our voices will truly be heard and acknowledged: attend meetings, email the Select Board or other town boards with your thoughts, even run for office, and vote in annual elections. The FS1 project is necessary, appropriate, and failing to pass it on June 3 will cost us more both in money, and in safety. Both of those risks are risks we should not, as a community, take on.

Thanks to Kathy Wallace, Westwood resident, for contributing this opinion article to Westwood Minute.

You may also be interested in:

- OPINION: Voting "No" on the Fire Station Override Is a Vote for Fiscal Responsibility and Affordability in Westwood

- Westwood Residents to Vote on Whether to Allow Borrowing for New Fire Station to Proceed as a Debt Exclusion (Updated)

- Police Log: Dashboard Camera Catches a Lie, $20K Check Stolen from Mailbox, and Other Stories

- PHOTO GALLERY: Westwood Holds Annual Memorial Day Parade

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6-01-2025 9:15am

Our annual town meeting has low attendance. It doesn’t mean people support the proposed wasteful fire station project. On May 19 annual town meeting, a father, whom I don’t know personally, shared his opposition to the project but had to leave early to care for his children and family. He asked me or someone else to read his comment on his behalf, highlighting that many residents care deeply but face scheduling conflicts.

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6-03-2025 12:45am

I didn’t attend Town Meeting and I think it would be a HUGE mistake to not vote in favor of this version of a new FS1. Do you really think the cost gets cheaper by delaying the project? Construction costs and expenses only increase over time. Shaving a few square feet or slightly decreasing the scale of the project does not have a significant effect on the overall cost - it just doesn’t. But delaying it will absolutely increase costs. And a project like this SHOULD be bigger than what we need today because outgrowing FS1 in a 5-10 years would be incredibly stupid. 

I’ve noticed you comment a lot on sociaLmedia regarding town issues and politics - which is certainly your right. But I’ll tell you that while no town is perfect, the town of Westwood is managed darn well, with a commitment to fiscal responsibility. And if you think you can do better, get on a board or run for one - you might be surprised by what you learn. 

Tom Kilgarriff 

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