EAST SPENCER — Six months ago, the town leaders and town manager made the difficult decision to raise taxes over a five-year period in order to raise money to cover the cost of a full-time fire department and this week, the town took the first big step in bringing that to fruition.

Fire Chief Shawn McBride announced the town has hired its first full time fire captain, Jeremy Scott, who has worked part time in East Spencer and as a volunteer firefighter in South Salisbury. Scott has been in the fire service for nearly 13 years, starting as a junior firefighter.

“This is a monumental achievement for the community,” said McBride, who said Scott will work a 24-hour on, 48-hour off, shift. “We have never had someone working a 24-hour shift, so this means that if someone runs to the firehouse, which happens in East Spencer, there will be someone there.”

Town Manager Michael Douglas said “this is what it was all about,” instituting a five-year tax increase. “We had a fire on Weant Street recently, and the first truck on the scene was ours. That’s because there was someone on duty.”

He said that has been the goal, as the town is experiencing growth, there is an increased need for services, but the town cannot afford to wait for the income from commercial growth to hit the books before beginning to address public safety needs.

When the 20-cent tax increase was approved in June of 2024, Douglas acknowledged what he was asking.

“I know that the fact of the matter is that I’m asking residents to sacrifice something in order to get a full-time fire department. I understand that, and I don’t take that lightly,” he said at the time.

The increase called for the tax rate to move to 86 cents starting with fiscal year 2025 and ending in fiscal year 2030, at which point it would go down by five cents every year until it reaches 71 cents, and initially, several board of aldermen members wondered if there was not another way of generating funds.

The town is applying for grant money from the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, and Douglas added that the town will seek USDA funds to help the town achieve the goal of a new public safety facility.

For now, the town has a goal of hiring three full-time captains and three full-time engineers, and Scott is the first hire in that plan.

“I know that right now, applicants may be put off a bit because our housing accommodations are temporary,” said Douglas, noting that a sleeping area and shower area have been constructed in the existing fire house. “We do have plans to build a new structure, it  just takes time.”

McBride said from the time he began in 2012 with the town, all equipment has been replaced including the fire truck, so it’s time to get staffing and the facility up to date.

“This is definitely a move in the right direction,” he said.