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Reported by us | Acushnet

Acushnet seeks emergency management volunteers, call firefighters and lateral police hires

Three town departments posted calls for help on the same day. Town records list one firefighter-paramedic on duty at headquarters, at least two people at the EMS station, and a proposed $17,900 emergency management budget.

By South Coast 360 staff | Published Oct. 18, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 18, 2026, 6:05 p.m. ET

Updated Oct. 18 with more detail.

ACUSHNET Acushnet is asking for help staffing its emergency response. The town's Office of Emergency Management is looking for volunteers 18 and older, Fire & EMS is taking applications for call firefighters, and the Police Department wants experienced officers to transfer in. All three notices were posted Oct. 15 on the town website. None gives a deadline.

What volunteers do

Emergency management volunteers "help support Acushnet before, during, and after emergencies, as well as at community events throughout the year," the office's notice says. The listed roles are disaster response, communications and logistics, community events, public information and outreach, and running emergency shelters. "No prior experience is required. Training and support are provided," the notice says.

The town's primary shelter is the Council on Aging, 59 1/2 S. Main St., and the backup is Ford Middle School, 708 Middle Road, according to the office's shelter page. The office is led by Director Thomas Farland, who is also the fire chief, and Deputy Director Geoffrey Haworth II.

Call firefighters

Fire & EMS is "actively seeking call firefighter candidates for future academy classes in 2027," its notice says. Recruits must be 18 to 40 and hold a high school diploma. The department's recruitment page adds a Massachusetts driver's license, a background check, medical and drug screening, completion of the state fire academy's call and volunteer firefighter program within a year, and the ability to reach an Acushnet fire station within five minutes.

Call firefighters carry pagers and gear and respond from home or work, and they "cover either day or night shifts not worked by our full-time members," the page says. The department began as an all-volunteer force and added career firefighters over time, it says. It also takes rolling applications for part-time EMTs and paramedics.

The numbers

Headquarters, at 24 Russell St., is staffed around the clock by one firefighter-paramedic, with the chief there on weekdays, according to the department's stations page. The EMS station on Middle Road is staffed around the clock by at least one full-time firefighter-paramedic and one part-time EMT or paramedic. The Long Plain station on Main Street, which serves the north end, is unstaffed.

The June 29 Annual Town Meeting warrant proposed $1,303,963 for Fire/EMS in fiscal 2027, up $92,039 from fiscal 2026, and level funding of $17,900 for emergency management, $4,000 of it salary. Two articles proposed moving leftover money to cover what the warrant called "the current FY26 Fire deficit." In an April 22 letter to Gov. Maura Healey printed in the warrant, the chairmen of the selectmen, Finance Committee and School Committee wrote that Acushnet had "reduced staffing across departments" to "the lowest levels feasible," public safety included.

Police and town boards

The police notice seeks full-time, academy-trained officers certified by the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. It lists Quinn Bill education pay of 10% to 25% and up to 25 vacation days a year. The selectmen's Oct. 14 agenda also listed 21 open seats on town boards and committees, from the Finance Committee to the Cultural Council.

How to sign up

Volunteers can apply through the online form on the Become a Member page of the Office of Emergency Management, or call the office at 508-998-0295, ext. 205. Call firefighter candidates can reach the fire chief's office at 508-998-0250. Officers apply with a letter of interest and resume to Police Chief Gary Coppa at gcoppa@acushnet.ma.us. Board applicants send a letter of interest to the selectmen, 122 Main St., 508-998-0200.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

How we verified this

Every fact comes from three town notices posted Oct. 15, six pages of the town website, the June 29 Town Meeting warrant and the selectmen's Oct. 14 agenda, all listed below. We read them on Oct. 18. The fiscal 2027 figures are the amounts the warrant proposed; this story does not report the final Town Meeting votes. We added the vacancy counts and checked each budget difference ourselves. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar and each claim against the pages. South Coast 360 sought comment Sunday from the fire chief; no reply yet.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (11)

  1. News Flash: Volunteers Needed: Acushnet Emergency Management (posted Oct. 15, 2026)Town of Acushnet. The volunteer call, age, roles, training, phone and email. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  2. News Flash: Acushnet Fire & EMS Now Accepting Applications for Call Firefighters (posted Oct. 15, 2026)Town of Acushnet. The 2027 academy classes, the age and diploma rules, the fire chief phone and email. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  3. News Flash: NOW HIRING: Lateral Police Officers (posted Oct. 15, 2026)Town of Acushnet. Requirements, Quinn Bill and vacation terms, how to apply. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  4. Become a Member (Office of Emergency Management)Town of Acushnet. The online membership form. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  5. Office of Emergency ManagementTown of Acushnet. Director and deputy director. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  6. Shelter Information (Office of Emergency Management)Town of Acushnet. Primary and secondary shelters. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  7. Fire Fighter RecruitmentTown of Acushnet Fire & EMS. Full requirements, the department history, call shifts and rolling EMS applications. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  8. Fire StationsTown of Acushnet Fire & EMS. Staffing at the three stations. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  9. Fire & Emergency Medical ServicesTown of Acushnet. Fire Chief Thomas Farland and the department phone. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  10. Annual Town Meeting Warrant, June 29, 2026 (44 pages)Town of Acushnet. Fire/EMS and emergency management budget lines, Articles 18 and 19, and the April 22 letter to the governor. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  11. Board of Selectmen agenda, Oct. 14, 2026Town of Acushnet. Board vacancy list, selectmen office address and phone. Read Oct. 18, 2026.

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