Select Board Backs 90-Day Per Diem Firefighter Pilot to Restore EMS Coverage

SANDISFIELD — July 14, 2025 — Sandisfield Select Board approves 90-day pilot hiring paid per diem firefighter EMTs after department missed ambulance calls. Fire Chief Michael Grillo told the board Monday that volunteer turnout has collapsed to the point where the department cannot reliably staff an ambulance, citing missed calls in the past week and a prior study showing the department failed to transport patients on 42 percent of ambulance runs. The pilot program will place two firefighter EMTs on per shift at $30 per hour around the clock, at an estimated cost of $199,000, which Grillo said could be funded within the department's existing $230,000 budget by recovering $341,217 in uncollected EMS billing. The board also voted to appoint Monterey Police Chief Brian Fahey as interim Sandisfield police chief at $40 per hour. In a session that grew contentious, Grillo played a whistleblower audio recording he said showed the Sandisfield Fire Department Incorporated nonprofit actively working to undermine his leadership, and asked the board to co-sign a letter formally withdrawing the department's recognition of the organization — a vote the board declined to take, referring the matter to a future agenda item pending town counsel review.