Town of Westwood, MA
Home MenuFire Station One (FS1) Steering Committee
FS1 Steering Committee Charge, Responsibilities, and Deliverables
Committee Charge
- The FS1 Steering Committee is charged with providing an objective, transparent, and community-informed evaluation of both short-term and long-term options for Fire Station 1. The Committee will ensure that all options are assessed consistently, grounded in data, and aligned with operational needs, public safety standards, and community expectations.
- Educate ourselves, educate the community, and communicate.
- The Committee shall:
- Review information, data, and recommendations developed by Town staff, Fire Department personnel, and consultants.
- Ask clarifying questions to ensure a full and shared understanding of the material.
- Provide informed, consensus-based recommendations to the Select Board on both short-term and long-term FS1 needs.
- Serve as a bridge between technical analysis and community priorities, ensuring clarity, transparency, and accessibility of information.
- Communicate information gathered throughout the process to the community in a clear, accurate, and accessible manner, helping residents understand the issues, constraints, and tradeoffs involved.
- Embrace the role of learners, translators, and communicators, absorbing technical information, distilling it into understandable terms, and sharing it publicly.
Core Responsibilities
- Establish a realistic timeline for completing the Committee’s work.
- Assess the Fire Department’s operational and facility needs, including space requirements, apparatus needs, staffing and operations.
- Review the existing evaluation scorecard and determine whether any revisions are needed.
- Apply the scorecard to all identified short-term and long-term options.
- Document the rationale behind each criterion scoring to support transparency and public understanding.
Deliverables
- The Committee will produce:
- A clear, written summary of programmatic needs.
- A completed and documented scorecard analysis for each short-term and long-term option.
- An explanation of all high, moderate, and low scores, including supporting data.
- A final recommendation to the Select Board identifying which option(s) should move forward for further study, community engagement, or funding.
The Select Board has given the Committee the goal of having a preferred location identified by March 1, 2026.
Members
Ford Spalding (Chair)
Jodi Petrucelli (Vice Chair)
Ken Aries
Peter Bean
Sarah Cantley
John Cummings
Harry Davis
Paul Dullea
Nancy James
Please feel free to contact us directly by email at FS1Committee@Westwoodma.gov.
Meetings
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID December 1, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - IN PERSON December 8, 2025 at 9:15 a.m. Fire Station 1 - 637 High Street |
Agenda Minutes |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - IN PERSON December 15, 2025 at 10:15 a.m. Needham Station 1 - 88 Chestnut Street |
Agenda Minutes |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID December 22, 2025 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID January 5, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID January 26, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee Community Meeting - HYBRID January 29, 2026 at 7 p.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID February 9, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID February 23, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee Community Meeting - REMOTE February 26, 2026 at 6 p.m. Zoom |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID March 9, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYRBID March 23, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID April 6, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID April 27, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID May 4, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYRBID May 18, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYRBID June 1, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID June 15, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
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Fire Station 1 Steering Committee - HYBRID June 29, 2026 at 10:15 a.m. Westwood Public Library |
Agenda Minutes Video |
Materials
Operational and Facilities Studies
Fire Station 1 Feasibility Study - October 2023
Analysis of Fire Department Operations - REVISED August 2023
Analysis of Fire Department Operations - June 2023
Fire and Ambulance Services Study - June 2013
Fire Department Infrastructure Analysis - May 2007
Documents
Westwood Fire Department Annual Training Guide
Public Safety Community Forum presentation - October 7, 2025