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. 

Deliverable

• 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.