ATHOL – Voters at Monday’s Annual Town Meeting endorsed an article for a Proposition 2 ½ override to provide $895,000 for the hiring of eight firefighters.

The matter will now be placed on the ballot for a Special Town Election to be held later this year.

The vote came shortly after the meeting approved an operating budget of $27.1 million. When the override article was presented to the floor, Town Manager Shaun Suhoski explained that approving it wouldn’t impact the budget.

“We don’t have to come running back for changes,” he said. “And if you pass the article before you, that will be ready to roll, if in fact the voters of town, at the ballot box, choose to support this.”

Athol Fire Chief Joseph Guarnera provided information supporting the need for the override, which he had given to numerous town boards and community organizations in recent weeks. He described the department’s staffing situation as “absolutely critical.”

His department, said Guarnera, “Operates a combined fire department of fire and ambulance. It currently operates two advanced life support ambulances, three pumps, a ladder truck, a special operations unit, and a brush truck, as well as other vehicles. There are four working groups, consisting of one captain and three firefighters per group…for total line firefighters of 16 members. The department also has a chief, deputy chief, fire prevention officer, and an administrative assistant, for a total of 19 – fully staffed.”

He went on to note that the department had 24 members in 1988, with four working groups consisting of five people each. He said the department had 48 call firefighters in 1988, compared to the nine currently available.

Guarnera said the lack of staffing has lead to many calls going unanswered because all members of a shift were out on other calls. That means the department depends on mutual aid from surrounding communities, which leads to a longer response time. That, he said, can lead to tragedy for both fire and medical calls.

“It’s also a safety issue for my firefighters,” said the chief. “That’s why I’m here. It’s also a safety issue for you, the residents. There aren’t enough firefighters to respond to the amount of calls we have. We’re not even halfway to where we need to be.”

Resident Tom Hart wanted to know how much the department had to pay out in overtime pay last year. Deputy Chief Jeff Parker and Administrative Assistant Liz Bergquist had researched this, and determined that overtime costs amounted to approximately $450,000.

“Well, that makes the $895,000 look a lot more attractive if you paid out a half-million dollars in overtime,” Hart said.

Raenette Kramer, a member of the town’s Board of Health, wanted to know if, with the addition of eight firefighters, “are we going to be able to provide ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) level of care to transfer patients our of our ER (Athol Hospital) who are waiting anywhere from two to six hours to get to an ICU bed because there’s no transport available?”

Guarnera explained that his department is licensed solely to respond to 911 calls.

“We’re not a transport service,” he said. “We’re not licensed to do so.”

Following a handful of other questions, the article was put to a vote, with the vast majority of attendees voting in favor. A special election will now be called by the town’s Selectboard, in consultation with the Town Clerk.

Article 30 sought to transfer $20,000 from Athol’s Free Cash to cover the town’s match for a grant from the state’s Downtown Vacant Storefront Program. This generated relatively little discussion, particularly in light of the division among the Selectboard on whether to support the proposal. At a meeting earlier this year, board members Brian Dodge and Stephen Raymond opposed the proposal, while Chair Andy Sujdak, Vice Chair Kala Fisher and member Rebecca Bialecki backed the plan.

David Small, chair of the Board of Planning and Community Development, reported that his board unanimously supported the article. The Downtown Vitality Committee also supports the article’s passage.

“It’s another tool in the toolbox to help revitalize downtown Athol,” said Committee Chair Mary Holtorf.

The article passed handily.

The vast majority of the 36 articles on the warrant prompted little or no discussion. A total of 126 voters showed up to participate in Monday’s meeting.

The evening also included awards for community service. Al and Bonnie Benjamin received Citizens of the Year award for their continuous work within the community over several decades, including the YMCA, elementary schools, teaching at the Athol Historical Society and Millers River Environmental Center and much more.

Robert Costa received the Employee of the Year Award. Costarecently retired after 37 years with the Department of Public Works, starting in the Parks Department and working his way up to Mechanic, and retiring as the Working Foreman of the Highway Department.

Cody Germain was honored for his work as a student intern in Town Hall and credited for his enthusiasm and hard work.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com. Mitchell R. Grosky also contributed to this article.

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