Templeton Firefighters - Local 5311

09/08/2026

Information session tonight!

09/08/2026

These aren’t scare tactics—if you call 911 for an emergency, there may be no one available to help.

Mutual aid agencies are busy, as call volume has increased across all communities and private ambulance services. You could wait 25 minutes or more for an available ambulance.

With a fire doubling in size every 30–60 seconds, can you afford to wait for an engine from a neighboring community?

Just to be clear - we have four jobs on the line. The town is looking to use the ambulance enterprise account to cover those positions which now reduces the our ability to purchase much need vehicles and equipment, etc. This money will be gone by next year - which means these positions will be unfunded. Lose the jobs now or lose them on June 30th, a no vote will ensure that these positions never get filled with qualified personnel. We've already started to see them leave due to the job insecurity.

Please support your Fire, Police, and DPW by voting YES for the override.

08/27/2026

Today, Local 5311 is sad to announce departure one of our members, Jon Beharrell.

Jon joined us about 18 months ago, and had been an integral part of our team, coming to us with prior firefighting and paramedic experience. His new department will be gaining a somone with a long career ahead of them. Jon has a true passion for the fire service and his loss will greatly impact the department and the town of Templeton.

Currently, there are no plans to fill his position, leaving the department with only five full-time and cross trained firefighter paramedics. This means that we are even more grossly understaffed than before.

We wish John the best of luck in his future endeavors and a long and healthy career!

08/24/2026

FYI - Informational Meeting upcoming!

FYI: An informational meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the Conference Room at Town Hall regarding the Prop 2 1/2 Override. For more information about the overiide, please click the link: https://www.templetonma.gov/1625/Proposition-25-Override-Info

08/21/2026

Please be informed before you vote — your decision has real consequences.

Override Vote Information from
the Select Board/Town Administrator’s Office:

08/17/2026

08/17/2026

Please take a moment to review the letter from the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts (PFFM) President, Rich MacKinnon, Jr. to the Templeton Select Board, asking them to prioritize public safety while making budget decisions for the town.

08/04/2026

To say we are disappointed with the vote last evening is a gross understatement. This $1.1 million deficit has the potential to impact all of your services, including an already understaffed and underbudgeted public safety division.

It was refreshing to see that Select Board members Graves, Cover, and May and Advisory member Toth speak about the reality we are soon going to face.

Emotions are high right now and nobody has the answers. Our recommendation is to attend the next Select Board meeting on Monday, August 10, 2026, at 6:30 PM. We will be there to see how the board plans to move our community forward.

Until then, please keep following our page for more information as we can provide it.

07/29/2026

Regardless of how you plan to vote on Monday at the district meeting, you need to be informed about the facts and figures.

Public safety has already been impacted in a negative way. The police department has no overnight coverage because they lost two police officers. The fire department budget has been decimated as well, with minimal funding for training and maintenance of an aging fleet.  The ambulance accounts receivable fund was utilized to save two positions, but this is not a long-term, sustainable solution.

If more cuts are made to public safety, there won’t be many people left to respond to your emergencies.