Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
Executive Summary
BACKGROUND
On December 13, 2019, the City of Nashua, New Hampshire, contracted Emergency Services Consulting
International (ESCI) to produce a Long-Range Master Plan for Nashua Fire Rescue. The purpose of the study
was threefold:
1. Evaluate current operational service delivery.
2. Identify future service delivery needs.
3. Provide recommendations for operational service delivery.
SUMMARY FINDINGS
Nashua Fire Rescue is a historically proud and very traditional New England Fire Department.
Operationally, the fire department meets most of the national standards for the provision of fire and rescue
services. Staffing and deployment are adequate in the Emergency Services Division, however there are a
number of administrative and support functions that are woefully understaffed. The staffing evaluation is
included within the Staffing section of this plan.
Fire department infrastructure will require significant financial investments in the coming years. While the
city has done a good job maintaining and replacing the apparatus in its fleet, four of the six fire stations are
more than 40-years-old. Many of these fire stations have outlived their useful life and some are no longer
located in the optimal location to meet the current service demands in the City of Nashua. Consideration
should be given to relocating some of these stations as they come due for renovation. GIS Models for Fire
Station Optimization are included within the Long-Range Deployment Options Section of this plan.
While the number of staff and fire department infrastructure are both critical components of Nashua Fire
Rescue's ability to serve the city, this plan would be doing the fire department a disservice if it didn’t identify
that Nashua Fire Rescue has a very significant and deeply embedded morale problem. ESCI’s interviews and
survey both revealed five common themes that stood out within Nashua Fire Rescue. These themes were:
1. Nashua Fire Rescue members are proud to be part of Nashua Fire Rescue.
2. Nashua Fire Rescue members almost unanimously agree that the people that make up the
department are the department's biggest strength. Members repeatedly cited the “manpower” and
“aggressive firefighting” as specific examples of this strength.
3. Morale isa problem. Members overwhelmingly believe that communication (or a lack thereof) is the
biggest contributor to the department's poor morale.
ESC) Emergency Services 4
Neal Consulting International
