Select Board Keeps Fire Chief Hiring Standards Intact

Select Board · Meeting of September 22, 2026

North Brookfield Select Board holds the line on fire chief hiring standards despite a thin finalist pool. The Fire Chief Search Committee found only one of nine applicants fully documents meeting requirements like a 10-mile residency rule and ICS and Firefighter certifications, so the board had Executive Assistant Mary Beth email all nine candidates to self-confirm qualifications rather than lower the bar or repost the job. One member said a fire chief "should be setting the standard for the rest of the department." The board also accepted a $8,056.25 no-match risk management grant from its insurer for police-station HVAC work, sewer department radios and safety barricades, and a $2,690 water department gas detector, approved $247,170.11 in general fund warrants and $361,553.11 in payroll, and ordered a building inspector review after Senior Center restroom changes, including removal of leaking urinals, proceeded without board sign-off.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,804 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.