Rutland Professional Firefighters Local 4878

06/01/2026

Rutland FireDepartment - By the numbers- May 2026

As part of our commitment to keeping residents informed, we will be sharing monthly operational statistics and highlighting notable incidents from the previous month.

Please see the attached May 2026 Department Statistics infographic for an overview of department activity.

🚑 EMS Call of the Month

On May 14th, Rutland Fire Department personnel responded to an unwitnessed cardiac arrest after the patient was discovered by family members. The incident resulted in a four-person transport, with crews providing advanced life support care throughout the response. Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was achieved during transport, allowing the patient to receive continued definitive care.

🔥 Fire Call of the Month

On May 5th, Rutland Fire Department personnel responded as part of our automatic mutual aid agreement with Barre to assist at a brush fire. Engine 3, Tanker 1, and Car 2 operated on scene for approximately two hours alongside regional partners. Incidents such as these demonstrate the importance of mutual aid and regional cooperation in protecting our communities.

We appreciate the continued support of our residents, regional partners, and the dedicated members who serve the Town of Rutland each day.

05/17/2026

Our thoughts go out to Jim’s family and Sterling fire. Jim was always a welcome face to see on calls or bumping into him at the hospitals. He will be missed

05/15/2026

Last night, our on-duty crew responded to a critical medical emergency that required every set of hands available.

It took coordinated patient care, multiple providers working together, and continuous treatment from the moment crews arrived through transport to give that patient a chance.

As of this morning, that person is still alive.

Calls like this are a reminder that emergency response is rarely just “an ambulance ride.” Serious emergencies require trained personnel, teamwork, experience, and enough people on scene to perform multiple lifesaving tasks at the same time.

I could not be more proud of the professionalism shown by our crew last night under difficult circumstances.

Calls like this are a reminder of how important adequate staffing, teamwork, and rapid intervention can be during critical emergencies.

No politics. No arguments. Just firefighters and paramedics doing everything they could for another human being when seconds mattered most.

05/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who has stayed engaged, informed, and respectful throughout this process.

Hopefully see you all again tomorrow at the polls

05/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to tonight’s town meeting and participated respectfully in the discussion.

No matter where people stood on the issues, it was encouraging to see residents engaged in conversations about the future of the community and the services the town provides.

I’m proud of the professionalism our crews have shown throughout this process, and grateful for the support and thoughtful questions many residents have shared over the past several weeks.

Local government works best when people stay informed and involved, and tonight was a good example of that.

05/09/2026

Tonight’s town meeting begins at 6 PM at Glenwood school.

Over the past several weeks there have been many conversations about budgets, staffing, services, and the future of the community. Whatever your perspective may be, tonight is an important opportunity to listen, ask questions, and participate in the process.

We appreciate everyone who has taken the time to engage respectfully and stay informed throughout these discussions.

05/07/2026

Over the past several weeks, there have been a lot of conversations in town about budgets, staffing, and public safety.

For those of us who work here, these discussions are personal. We see every day what emergency response looks like when calls overlap, when neighboring departments are tied up, and when resources are stretched thin. We also see how much this community relies on the people who answer those calls.

Many of us are not just employees here—we live here too. We pay the same taxes, feel the same financial pressures, and have our own families and loved ones in this community. We understand the weight of these decisions from both sides.

No matter where anyone stands, I hope residents take the time to stay informed, ask questions, and participate in the upcoming votes and meetings. Local decisions have real impacts on the services a town is able to provide and maintain.

I’m proud of the work our crews do every day, and proud to serve this community alongside them.

Mike Gleason
President of local 4878

05/01/2026

It’s been a little quiet from me lately, but I wanted to share a real snapshot of what daily emergency service demand can look like.

Today’s calls included:

• 7:10 AM – Medical call
• 7:28 AM – Lift assist
• 11:29 AM – Medical call
• 11:51 AM – Lift assist
• 2:59 PM – Call for service

Both lift assists required help from our mutual aid partner in Holden.

This is what many days look like in public safety—not always large emergencies, but multiple calls throughout the day that require coordination, staffing, and available resources.

Many residents are asking important questions about budgets, staffing, and services. If you’d like to learn more, the town is holding a budget information meeting and there are upcoming votes on May 9 and May 11.

Whatever your position, staying informed and participating is important.

04/16/2026

This is a good look at how surrounding departments are experiencing similar challenges.

Mutual aid is a shared system—every town both gives and receives help depending on what’s going on at the time. When multiple communities are handling calls at once, it can impact how quickly help is available.

It’s an important part of understanding how emergency response works beyond just one town.

As the budget currently stands, the Holden Fire Department is facing a reduction of three full-time firefighter/EMT positions (includes two grant-funded positions).

In 2025, our department responded to 3,047 total calls for service, with 1,392 of those incidents occurring at the same time as another call. These overlapping calls are a regular part of operations in Holden and require sufficient staffing to manage safely and effectively.

With our staffing reduction, overnight operations (7:00 PM – 7:00 AM) will be limited to one ambulance and one fire apparatus in service. A second ambulance will no longer be available from our department during these hours.

In practical terms, this means when multiple emergencies occur at the same time, which happens frequently:

-Additional calls will require mutual aid from surrounding communities, many of which are also facing service reductions
-Available units may already be committed to another incident
-Response times will be impacted

Our current staffing plan is designed to manage simultaneous EMS and fire incidents, which make up the majority of our call volume. As the budget stands today, reductions in staffing will require adjustments to how services are delivered.

We remain committed to providing the highest level of service possible with the resources available and want residents to understand how current budget conditions impact fire and EMS operations in our community.

04/09/2026

I’ve seen a few comments lately about the town needing to “tighten its belt.”

That’s a fair concern—and honestly, it’s something that’s already been happening.

Over the past several years, the town has made cuts, delayed purchases, and stretched resources to keep services running.

At this point, there isn’t much left to trim without it directly impacting service.

That’s where this becomes different.

This isn’t about adding new programs or expanding services.

It’s about whether we can continue to provide the level of response the town currently relies on.

Last year alone, we handled 323 simultaneous incidents—calls where another emergency happened while crews were already committed.

We’ve been making it work.

Question now is whether we can continue to do that safely and consistently.

With fewer personnel there will be times where we simply can’t respond as quickly as we do now.

That’s what this comes down to.