Fire Chief: Contract is Biggest Obstacle to Advanced Ambulance Service

One of the goals of the Watertown Fire Department is to upgrade to advanced life support (ALS) ambulance service, but to do so Fire Chief Mario Orangio said the town will have to settle the contract with the firefighters union. Orangio presented his budget to the Town Council Wednesday night. Watertown has eight certified paramedics in the department. The Fire Department’s budget of $8.8 million includes $95,000 for equipment required to start-up an ALS service ambulance. Currently Watertown uses an outside ambulance service for ALS service, and the Fire Department provides basic life support (BLS) services.

Council Approves Town Building Renovations, Vehicle Purchases

Watertown’s capital improvement plans will focus on repairs to the some schools, library, two fire stations and Town Hall, as well as purchasing new vehicles. Tuesday night, the Council approved the Fiscal 2016-20 Capital Improvement Plan Tuesday night. See the entire list of recommendations adopted by the council by clicking here. The Council is working on the Fiscal 2016 budget, which begins on July 1, 2015. But it also includes recommendations from Fiscal 2013, 2014 and 2015.