Ridgefield Reviews Fire Staffing, Overtime Costs And Dispatch Issues

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Ridgefield Fire Commission spent much of its Dec. 10 meeting reviewing fire staffing levels, overtime spending, and dispatch operations, as Fire Chief Rommie Duckworth and department leaders detailed hiring progress and ongoing challenges.

With one commissioner participating remotely, First Selectperson Rudy Marconi opened the meeting by adding a discussion on response times and turnover analytics before inviting fire officials to report on personnel and training.

Fire Department Says Staffing Crisis Easing

Chief Duckworth said two newly hired firefighter-paramedics have advanced from recruit training to probationary status and are now working shifts. Two additional hires are expected to join shift assignments by the end of the year, with more recruits anticipated in January. He said the department is “finally climbing out” of the paramedic shortage that had strained operations over the past year.

Duckworth described a structured credentialing system intended to give firefighters a clear pathway through recruit, probationary and specialized training phases, with defined competency benchmarks for the first 10 years of employment.

Turnover Discussion and Overtime Pressures

Commission members pressed department officials on historical turnover and its effect on overtime costs. Duckworth said the department reviewed data back to 2007 and found Ridgefield loses an average of just under three firefighters per year, a rate comparable to national norms. Turnover was higher in the past five years, averaging nearly four departures annually, partly reflecting a cluster of retirements.

Overtime increases were attributed to prolonged vacancies and, earlier this year, to firefighters assisting the town’s centralized dispatch center. That dispatch support, which cost roughly $100,000 over several months, ended in late October.

Fire officials said the portion of overtime tied specifically to unfilled positions is steadily decreasing as hiring continues, dropping from $82,000 in the first quarter of the fiscal year to $65,000 in the second, with further reductions expected.

Minimum Staffing Model Under Scrutiny

Commissioners revisited past decisions to staff fire shifts to an eight-person minimum using overtime rather than additional full-time hires—a cost-containment measure previously supported by the Fire Department. Several members said the board never formally discussed ending that model.

Duckworth explained that with the department facing significant paramedic shortages earlier this year, hiring to nine firefighters per shift became operationally necessary. That approach, he said, is designed to avoid renewed staffing crises and ensure an officer is available to manage incidents and support dispatchers.

Commissioners emphasized that any future change to contractual minimum staffing would require formal review.

Dispatch Training, Software and Performance Issues

A significant portion of the meeting focused on ongoing challenges in the town’s consolidated dispatch center. Duckworth said new dispatch hires are beginning EMS ride-alongs and fire operations training to improve familiarity with protocols and local geography.

He said structural issues—such as inconsistent system clocks, varied data-entry practices, and software misconfigurations—had made response-time reporting unreliable. Those problems are now being corrected. Preliminary data show average ambulance response times of under 5½ minutes and fire engine responses averaging 6 minutes, 44 seconds, which officials described as strong performance for a community of Ridgefield’s size.

Commissioners expressed concern that dispatch improvements must continue without relying again on expensive firefighter overtime. Duckworth and Marconi noted that new dispatch leadership is assessing operations and developing standardized training.

Apparatus Repairs and Regionalization Talks

Fire officials reported ongoing required annual maintenance of department vehicles and noted recurring software issues in the department’s newer mini-pumper. The truck remains under warranty, with technicians working to resolve communication failures between its chassis and pumping systems.

Ridgefield is again discussing possible shared vehicle maintenance services with Danbury after earlier cost proposals proved too high.

Community Programs and Facility Needs

Fire officials highlighted their involvement in community events such as holiday Santa rides, tree-lighting EMS support, and high-school-led CPR training programs.

Commissioners also requested a short-term capital needs assessment for the current fire headquarters to guide budgeting ahead of work by the new Fire Building Committee.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned after more than an hour of discussion, closing with agreement that commissioners would revisit fire staffing and dispatch updates early in the 2026 budget cycle.