Yes, the current fire station size is sufficient. A clarification of the Town’s expensive studies.

by Brian Camenker

In my recent letter to the Westwood Minute, and previously in my statement included in the town’s mailing to all voters prior to the Sept. 9 election, I observed that the 2023 independent study that the town paid for concluded that the current Fire Station size was sufficient for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, the reaction from proponents of a larger building has been to claim that I am wrong – that the study says the opposite! One woman even stood up and said that at during Oct. 7 Public Safety Community Forum on the fire station alternatives. A Town public official also said that to me (but later backed down when I came back with the facts).

I’m not wrong. The proponents are being misleading about the 2023 documents.

In June, 2023 (and later in August) an independent firm presented their study which concluded that no expansion was needed. Our town officials didn’t like that answer. So they put together their own reports and presented them as updates to that study. The town’s reports were done by the architect, using the “want list” of the firefighters. Of course, they came to the conclusion they desired.

Let’s go over the 2023 documents:

1. June 2023 - Westwood Analysis of Fire Department Operations

This was a study done by Criterion Associates, an independent Fire Station consulting company that the Town hired to evaluate our needs. It concluded that we need to add one additional lieutenant per shift. But except for that, no significant expansion of operations was needed that would require an expansion of facilities.

2. July 12, 2023 - Westwood Feasibility Study Update/Presentations

This was done by the Town’s usual architecture firm, Dore & Whittier, taking their direction from the Westwood firefighters and their list of “what we’d like to have.” It said that Westwood needs a much bigger fire station. This is what the proponents use in their arguments. But it was not done by an independent consulting company.

3. July 12, 2023 - Westwood Analysis of Fire Station Locations

This is an analysis of different locations in the Town for a new fire station by Criterion Associates, and how each would affect delivery of service, etc. It does not suggest what the size of the building should be.

4. July 12, 2023 - Westwood Fire Operational Study

This appears to be a PowerPoint version of #3 above.

5. August 2023 - Westwood Analysis of Fire Department Operations - Update

This was an update and expansion of the previous June study by Criterion Associates. It gave more details, but came to basically the same conclusions (add one lieutenant per shift, no significant expansion of operations), which are stated very clearly at the beginning of the document.

6. October 2023 - Feasibility Study - Final Report

This is also written by the architectural firm (Dore & Whittier) and a group of Westwood town officials – not the independent fire station consulting firm. It also says Westwood needs a much larger fire station building. It’s a massive 274-page report, with lots of detail. It plainly says at the beginning that the building space needs were determined by the Fire Chief and staff. There is a person from Criterion Associates listed among the contributors, but his contribution appears to be regarding the best location. Again, this is an in-house “what we want,” not an independent assessment of actual needs.

The bottom line is that the current size of the fire station is sufficient. Citizens should not be swayed by the deceptive and misleading arguments of the people who simply want to spend more money.

In fact, large portions of the current fire station are currently unuseable (e.g., the entire attic area and other areas), so a new building of the same size building would have more useable space.

In my opinion, this whole thing has been characterized by a shameful pattern of town-orchestrated propaganda and deception. They seem to have promised the firefighters a big fire station, and are prepared to do anything to get it. And despite losing two elections, they appear to be continuing on that path with their latest “informative” community forums.