The Londonderry Fire Department will be taking the Litchfield for ambulance and dispatch services beginning on Jan. 1, 2027, after the Town Council agreed to begin the process of signing a contract with Litchfield, a contract currently held with Hudson.
Londonderry Fire Chief James Young said he is excited about the opportunity saying it would have advantages for both communities.
He said previously that they were initially approached in April about it and have been working out the details including the proposal since.
Young explained that they have had a longstanding relationship with Litchfield Fire through mutual aid, and that they provided dispatch services in the 1980’s, and also served as the backup communications center for 20+ years.
The vote by Town Council opened the door to expand Londonderry’s role in providing emergency services while adding five full-time positions to the Fire Department without increasing the town’s tax rate, according to information presented to the council.
The agreement is scheduled to begin at midnight on Jan. 1, 2027, when Litchfield’s current contract with the Town of Hudson expires.
The agreement calls for Londonderry to add four full-time firefighter/EMT, firefighter/AEMT or firefighter/paramedic positions, as well as one full-time telecommunications operator.
The Londonderry Fire Department estimates the four operations positions will generate $175,000 in revenue during the first year, increasing to $215,000 in the second year and $256,124 in the third year. The dispatch agreement is expected to generate another $47,580 in the first year, $51,149 in the second and $54,986 in the third.
In October 2023, at a Hudson Board of Selectmen meeting, Fire Chief Scott Tice presented a proposal for new agreements with the town of Litchfield, for ambulance and dispatch services.
He explained that earlier that year they realized the contracts “hadn’t been updated in some time,” so they wanted to make changes.
One of the changes Tice pointed to is the amount of time either party would need to give as notice before exiting the contract.
He said previously the notice requirement was 30 days however under the new contract either party would need to give six months notice.
Another area Tice pointed to is the amount of money the town of Hudson will receive for each call.
For dispatch, he said that they currently had received $12 per call, however, it would go up to $15 a call starting Jan. 1, to $17 a call starting in 2025, and up to $19 a call, starting in 2026.
On the ambulance side, Tice said that they are able to bill patients directly.
The contract language reads: “Patients who request an ambulance response from Hudson Fire Department shall be billed the current established ambulance rates as approved by the Hudson Board of Selectmen. A copy of current established ambulance service rates and upon any changes to ambulance service rates shall be provided to the Town of Litchfield. Second billings for those patients who have not paid within forty-five days will be sent to the patient. If a patient has not paid Hudson Fire Department within forty-five days after the second billing, the third billing will be sent to the Town of Litchfield who shall pay the Town of Hudson or its designated agent. The rate charged to the Town of Litchfield will be the current Medicare rate.”
Tice said the town also received a stipend for having the equipment and personnel ready for the ambulance. He said last year they received $138 per call, but this year they would be receiving $175 a call in 2024, $195 a call in 2025, and $215 a call in 2026.
It is unclear how much revenue has been brought in for Hudson over the past couple of years, or if any changes to staffing would have to be made after Litchfield severs the contract with Hudson.
Hudson Town Administrator Roy Sorenson did not respond to an email for this story.
