Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/watertown-fire-department/)
Watertown Firefighter Matthew Callahan. The Watertown Fire Department is mourning the loss of one of there own to an occupational cancer at the age of 38. A funeral will be held on Aug. 28. Firefighter Matthew Callahan died on Aug.
In light of the recent tragedy in Fall River — where limited staffing hindered rescue efforts at an assisted living facility — it’s time to look critically at our own fire protection in Watertown. Watertown is dangerously understaffed, falling below national safety standards. According to NFPA 1710, fire apparatus should be staffed with a minimum of 4 firefighters. In April of this year, at a budget and fiscal oversight committee meeting, Councilor Piccirilli stated, “I’ve been a member of the NFPA for over 30 years and I really believe in this stuff and it’s a good way to run an organization” He also stated that “we should be meeting, at a minimum, the published national standards”
In Watertown:
• Engines operate with only 3, 1 officer, and 2 firefighters• Ladder trucks often run with just 2• Ladder 2, which covers the Eastside, a dense and growing part of town, regularly runs with 2 firefighters and no officer
Prior to the addition of a second ambulance, approved for fiscal year 2026, staffing has not increased since 2008:
• 2007: Minimum staffing dropped to 18• 2008: Cut again to just 17 firefighters per shift, where it remains today• From fiscal years 2023–2026, multiple staffing requests were submitted — all denied
Meanwhile, the city is growing rapidly, with more complex emergencies, more residents to protect, and an increasing call volume. High-Risk & High-Density Structures:
• Charles River Towers: 192 residential units in a high-rise• Arsenal Yards: 400,000+ sq.
The second Empowering Women in Watertown event is a summer workshop featuring members of the Watertown Police and Fire departments. See the announcement below. We’re thrilled to welcome Officers Kerry Kelley and Anna Margaryan and Firefighter/Paramedic Kate Boudreau as our keynote speakers at our Empowering Women in Watertown: Summer Workshop! Join us on Thursday, August 14, 2025, from 8–10am at the Commander’s Mansion. This workshop is focused on Wellness, Community Action, and Communications, and designed to connect, empower, and inspire women across Watertown.
The Watertown Police and Recreation departments will host a family event with activities, music, food, followed by a movie on Tuesday, Aug. 5. National Night Out will take place on Aug. 5 from 5-8 p.m. at the park behind the Police Station 552 Main St., said Watertown Police Lt. Kevin McManus. “The Recreation Department has done a movie night with us, hosted out back (behind the station),” McManus said.
Watertown Firefighters put out a fire on Hillside Road that started with a computer charger. On Tuesday at 6:53 p.m., a call came in for a computer on fire. “Upon arrival smoke was reported coming from a third-floor window,” said Assistant Fire Chief William Maietta. “Further investigation found fire coming from a third-floor bedroom. Heavy smoke and high heat conditions made advancement with a hose line difficult.”
The Watertown Fire Department has added a new strategy to fill openings for paramedics — hiring candidates who transfer from other departments. Traditionally, Watertown hires people off the Civil Service Exam list, said Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson, but recently the WFD put out a call for lateral transfers from other departments. The Fire Department has several openings after the City Council approved funding to run a second Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulance. “We are looking for transfers now, because paramedics are becoming increasingly difficult to hire,” Nicholson said. “So we’re doing the standard route that we’ve used before, and calling for the list from Civil Service.
The Watertown Fire Department got approval to run a second ambulance after the City Council approved funding to staff the ambulance on Tuesday. The vote came a couple weeks after the City Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight heard a presentation from Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson and members of the City administration. That meeting was the second hearing on adding a second ambulance. Nicholson said when calls are handled by the contracted ambulance run by Pro EMS, it takes longer to get to calls, and the City is losing reimbursement for the transportations to hospital when the outside ambulance handles a call. Additionally, he said that Watertown’s paramedics are overworked, morale is low, and several have left the WFD.
A Council committee voted to recommend that Watertown’s Fire Department should have a second ambulance after hearing about the alternatives and cost of running the second in-house ambulance. Watertown Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson said having a second ambulance would not just provide quicker response for patients in emergency situations, but would also increase the morale of the WFD’s paramedics. He gave his presentation to the Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight on April 29. At a prior meeting, Nicholson told the committee about how calls handled by the contracted private ambulance service, Pro EMS, often does not meet the National Fire Protection Association’s standards of providing emergency medical services within 9 minutes 90 percent of the time. For calls handled by the contracted ambulance, the NFPA’s standard is met 44 percent of the time, Nicholson said in March, while when Watertown’s ambulance responds the standard is met 96 percent of the time.