Fire Station 3 in Portsmouth was on the brink of closing at the end of June. In a last-ditch effort to prevent its closure, the Fire Commission ordered Chief Christopher LeClaire to keep the station open for another two months using $110,000 in savings realized from retirements and the hiring of new employees who earn less. 

But what happens at the end of August, when that money is projected to run out? LeClaire estimates it will take another $158,000 to cover personnel costs and keep Station 3 open for the remainder of the year. But he’s having trouble convincing the City Council to appropriate those funds.

Located in Pease International Tradeport, Station 3 covers businesses at Pease and surrounding neighborhoods. Fire officials say the station is vital to keeping emergency response times low around the city.

“Obviously, Station 3 is an integral part of what we do in covering the city’s three districts,” LeClaire said. Sending personnel and equipment from Stations 1 or 2 to an emergency in District 3 would increase response times and leave other parts of the city temporarily uncovered. “Imagine Station 1 running to District 3 every time there’s an issue out there. The entirety of the South End is left unprotected.”

The debate over funding for the station is symptomatic of tough economic times and a shift in cost-sharing between the state and city, forcing the local government to conduct a difficult balancing act between labor costs and services.

During a meeting on July 18, City Councilor Ken Smith proposed a supplemental appropriation of $158,000 from the undesignated fund balance to keep Station 3 open at least until the end of the year. He recommended using $110,000 in savings that resulted from another city union changing its health insurance plan.

But Smith’s request to hold a public hearing and subsequent vote on the matter was denied by a vote of 5-4. Among the councilors who voted against the measure was Mayor Tom Ferrini.

“We know from the Fire Commission that they can stay open for a period of time, and I think it would be premature to approve a supplemental appropriation at this time,” Ferrini said.

He declined to speculate on the potential safety impact of closing Station 3 while the facility is still up and running. He said he’s always worried about safety issues, but a new state law that increases the percentage of retirement costs cities and towns must cover makes it more difficult to fund city services. 

“We are going to continue in the city to have to deal with the collision between labor costs and the ability to provide services,” Ferrini said. “It’s not a new story. It’s going to be the story going forward as long as the economy remains the way it is.”

LeClaire said his $158,000 estimate for keeping Station 3 open is based on overtime costs for fire personnel. These costs are due to leave time for vacations, as well as numerous winter snowstorms and flooding events that occurred earlier this year.

“This whole pool of overtime is about $158,000 short now, and that’s a low estimate based on what we historically have spent,” he said.

Smith said he’s heard from many residents who are concerned about how closing Station 3 would affect emergency response times.

“To get first responders to a situation as early as possible is really a matter of not only life and death but a small incident turning into something much larger,” he said.

He’s also concerned about the effect the station’s closure could have on home insurance rates. A change in Portsmouth’s insurance rating could boost costs by 17 to 27 percent across the city, he said (other councilors have contested that figure).

Even if the Fire Department comes up with the $158,000 to keep Station 3 open for a few more months, the long-term issue of overtime funding remains. LeClaire said the station will close whenever personnel funds are exhausted.  

“Understand that with the overtime budgets being as short as they are that when the money’s gone, it’s gone. That could happen in September, it could happen in October, it could happen in November, it could happen in December,” LeClaire said. “When it runs out, it runs out, and Station 3 will close then.”

Ferrini said the city will have to address those sorts of harsh realities in all budgeting matters for years to come. All the City Council and department heads can do is continue working together to solve each problem that arises.

“My belief, whether it’s Fire Station 3 or whether it’s government costs in general, is this is the new normal for government,” he said.