Selectmen Approve Auxiliary Firefighter Policy

The Rehoboth Board of Selectmen authorized the creation of an auxiliary firefighter policy on Monday.

Fire Chief Mark Haskell noted the program will allow retired firefighters over the age of 65 to volunteer their time to assist the Fire Department in certain emergencies.

 “They have value,” Haskell said. “They have value and they still want (to serve). We talk about a structure fire. Someone goes out and does accountability. If I have to pull a guy out of a building and do accountability, they’re going to want to fight me because their job is to put out fires, not to run around with a clipboard and check on people. There’s a lot of those little jobs that firefighters don’t want to do but they’re necessary to be done so this gives an opportunity to those guys to help us out with those sort of things.”

The mandatory retirement age for firefighters in Massachusetts is 65, meaning they must retire at the end of the month in which they turn 65. While there are exceptions and ongoing legislative efforts to provide more flexibility, the standard retirement age is 65.

Auxiliary firefighters assist the regular fire department at incidents by providing support services like lighting, manpower, and equipment.

They respond to fires and other emergencies, and their roles can include tasks like pumping out flooded basements.

Auxiliary members undergo training, which can include programs like the 240-hour call/volunteer recruit firefighter program, to meet national standards. The positions are volunteer and on-call, requiring a significant commitment of time and energy.