Douglas Select Board Accepts Fire Grant, Appoints Hearing Officer, Ratifies EMS Contract

DOUGLAS — April 7, 2026 — Douglas Select Board bolsters fire department enforcement and equipment in busy April session. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Matt Wojcik as the town's municipal hearing officer under MGL Chapter 148A, giving the Fire Department authority to issue tiered non-criminal citations of $100, $500, and $1,000 for fire code violations — a tool Deputy Fire Chief Kelly Manning said would allow the department to compel compliance before resorting to cease-and-desist orders. The board also accepted a $15,500 state Department of Fire Services grant, supplemented by a $5,000 donation from the Douglas Firefighters Association, to purchase a combination cutter-spreader extrication unit replacing equipment from 1990. In a 5-0 vote, the board ratified a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the Police Fire EMS Public Safety Communication union covering FY2027 through FY2029, setting annual cost-of-living increases of 2 percent and a permanent 1.25 percent step tied to department re-accreditation.