Board of Directors' Meeting - August 27, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday August 27, 2025

Directors Present: President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Nelson, John Manning, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Real Bazin, Jay Wilson

The meeting was called to order at 1858 hours by President March

Administration Present: Chief Joe Sangermano, Deputy Chief Kassie Lunderville

Guests: Dispatcher Wren Doyle, Administrative Assistant Kathryn Putney

Meeting Minutes August 13, 2025 Meeting: No meeting minutes were available

Treasurer’s Report:

Chief Sangermano presented the Board with financial documents, including modifications as had been requested by Director Manning; Upon review of the documents, Director Manning raised concerns and reiterated his requests for specific information and figures to be included in the monthly report documents with Kathryn Putney, as our Administrative Assistant; With this review completed, Katheryn advised the Board she would begin to include the information as requested moving forward

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell to accept the financial report as presented; Prior to a second to the motion, Director Goddard questioned our practice of accepting incomplete financial documents, as opposed to tabling the subject; The motion was withdrawn; Motion made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to table the presented financial documents until they are all documents are updated and accurate; Motion passed via unanimous voice vote

With regard to System finances and banking, upon questioning by Director Manning, Chief Sangermano advised he continues to work with M&T Bank to establish a sweep account, which should be completed soon; Also advised a check reader is planned for installation in order to allow for more rapid depositing of checks

Coordinator’s Activity Report: No Coordinator’s Activity Report presented

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Old Business:

New Recorder – Deputy Lunderville advised the Board testing of the new recorder continues and we are awaiting final completion

CAD – Deputy Lunderville advised work is progressing, with data entry work on-going, the test site has been established and is functional, and training sessions for all dispatchers have been established as previously documented; Meetings have been held with Keene FD and Jaffrey FD regarding the integration and use of MDT’s; The go-live date remains September 9 th

Dispatch Consoles – Chief Sangermano advised the Board that the last working meeting with Motorola has been held, and the first equipment shipments should arrive the middle part of September

IamResponding – No update

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – No update

Communications System Upgrade – Deputy Lunderville initiated discussion regarding the contracts for independent contractors/consultants and advised preparation of these contracts is progressing; Director Goddard raised concerns regarding Peter Denutte, as one of the proposed consultants, potentially serving as a technical consultant, as he continues to speak on behalf of, and for the system, after the Board had previously clearly indicated neither he, nor any other individuals or contractors are to be doing so; After subsequent discussion, Chief Sangermano was requested to contact Peter Denutte in order to advise him he is not to act in any manner on behalf of our System, until such time as an official contract with him has been signed and executed; Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded by Director Eaton to move forward with contract development with Don Bliss and Peter Denutte, with Don Bliss to act as our designated Project Manager and Grants Administrator, and Peter Denutte to act as a Technical Advisor, with the contract clearly delineating specific respective responsibilities, and lines of accountability, and including 60-day escape clauses for all parties; The motion carried via voice vote, with Director Goddard voting in the negative

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – Director Goddard questioned the status of MAFCA, with regard to Board members having been previously invited to attend a MAFCA meeting, in lieu of MAFCA members attending a Board of Directors meeting, and if any Board members had attended to date; Director Seymour advised he has been attending the MAFCA meeting, and had extended a second invitation to attend a Board of Directors meeting; No further discussion

Hyland and Gilsum Microwave Systems – The new microwave for Hyland is at Headquarters, and Oliver is in the process of racking and testing the system; The system will be deployed and installed at the earliest possible time

ATV Replacement – No update or action

Tower Site Ownership & Agreements – No update

New Business:

Tower Site Outages – Deputy Lunderville advised the Board that several site outages had taken place on August 26, 2025, including Pitcher, Stratton, and Cat-Den; At Pitcher, it was discovered that state technicians had disconnected our equipment, and not reconnected everything – All equipment has been re-connected, tested, and is functioning normally; Stratton went down due to scheduled utility company outage, which we had not been made aware of; Stratton came back on-line with no issues upon restoration of utility power; Issues at Cat-Den are being investigated and will be repaired as necessary

Hyland Microwave Failure – Chief Sangermano advised the Board of a microwave outage at Hyland Hill last Thursday evening; The appropriate staff were called in to mitigate the issue, with repairs made and the microwave back on-line within 1 hour

Non-Public Session: A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to enter into Non-Public Session, under RSA 91 – A:3, 11(c) The Board of Directors, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present, entered into Non-Public Session at 2042 hours, inviting Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville to attend

At 2110 hours, the Board of Directors exited Non-Public Session, and returned to open session, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present; A motion was made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded by Director Eaton to seal the minutes of the Non-Public Session; Motion passed by unanimous voice vote

Personnel / Staff: None

Correspondence: None

Open Discussion:

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday September 10, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters. The Board of Directors opted to modify the normal meeting cycle, and as tonight’s meeting had been scheduled as a work session meeting, which did not occur, dedicate the meeting of September 10, 2025 to a work session with Chief Sangermano and Deputy Lunderville

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded Director Bazin to adjourn; Motion passed unanimously vis voice vote

Meeting adjourned at 2115 hours

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard

Board of Directors' Meeting - August 13, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday August 13, 2025

Directors Present: President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Boynton, Thomas Bates, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Real Bazin, John Manning

The meeting was called to order at 1900 hours by President March

Administration Present: Chief Joe Sangermano, Deputy Chief Kassie Lunderville

Guests: Peter Denutte

Meeting Minutes July 9 and July 23, 2025: A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Bazin to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2025 and July 23, 20254 meetings, as presented; Motion Passed via unanimous voice vote

Treasurer’s Report:

Chief Sangermano presented the Board with account summaries for the System; No questions or issues were raised. Chief Sangermano advised the Board we are in a state of positive cash flow, with all bills paid and current to date. Director Manning questioned the status of updated, accurate, and appropriate monthly financial reports and statements to be provided to the Board; The requirements pertaining to specific information to be contained within these reports was reviewed by Director Manning; The Board was assured that improves financial statements will be provided to the Board on a monthly basis moving forward

Director Manning questioned the status of the audit; Deputy Lunderville advised the Board that an initial review of System financials is underway by the chosen auditor, and a letter of commitment and audit cost estimate will be forthcoming Motion made by Director Bazin and seconded by Director Seymour to accept the limited financial documents; The motion carried with 2 Directors abstaining

Coordinator’s Activity Report: Chief Sangermano provided the Board with the monthly Coordinator’s Report; No discussion ensued; Motion made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Boynton to accept the Report as presented; Motion carried via unanimous voice vote

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Old Business:

New Recorder – Deputy Lunderville advised issues have arisen pertaining to racks, a failed power supply and the recorder not recording properly, resulting in the new recorder remaining inactive; The old recorder remains on-line, with a short-term recording issue having been found and repaired; At this point, we are awaiting scheduling for the vendor to return to complete the project

CAD – Deputy Lunderville advised the Board the new CAD System is coming together pretty well; The need for street name corrections have been identified and are underway; Dispatcher Ashton Nyer is now working with Lt. Yeatman and Retired Lt. Whipple; IT vendor representatives will be in house tomorrow to begin setting up training positions for the new CAD, and will be preparing for additional position upgrades; The go-live date remains September 9 th , with training dates for all dispatchers on September 3rd , 4th , and 6th

Dispatch Consoles – Pete Denutte advised the Board the final console design is to be presented by Motorola on August 19th , and work is being addressed with the installation team with plans to proceed with the build-out; Configuration of our tower sites remains to be completed in order to provide connectivity to the new consoles

IamResponding – Deputy Lunderville advised the Board that training and education for the dispatchers is in process

FMA Utility 2 Truck Body – At the request of Chief Sangermano, Director Goddard advised the Board the new body has been installed on the truck and is in the process of being out-fitted as necessary

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – Chief Sangermano advised the Board this work is in the process of being scheduled

Communications System Upgrade – No update

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – No update

Hyland and Gilsum Microwave Systems – Peter Denutte advised the Board of a warranty related issue pertaining to the installation of the new microwave at Hyland Hill; Mr. Denutte advised that a certified installation representative from 2-Way Communications is required to be on site at the time the microwave is installed for acceptance testing, in order for the warranty to be in effect; A quote for this service was provided to the Board, in the amount of $2080.00; Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded by Director Eaton to approve the expenditure of no greater than $3500.00 for the purpose stated, with the additional $1420.00 being designated as a contingency, if required; Motion passed unanimously via voice vote

ATV Replacement – No update or action

MRI Organization Report – No update

New Business:

Tower Site Ownership & Agreements – No update

Customer Communications – No update

Personnel:

Chief Sangermano advised the Board Part-Time Dispatcher Colby Howard has been reinstated effective immediately

Non-Public Session: A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to enter into Non-Public Session, under RSA 91 – A:3, 11(c) The Board of Directors, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present, entered into Non-Public Session at 1939 hours, inviting Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville to attend

At 2030 hours, the Board of Directors exited Non-Public Session, and returned to open session, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to seal the minutes of the Non-Public Session; Motion passed byunanimous voice vote

Correspondence: None

Open Discussion:

When questioned, Vice President Tirrell advise the Board negotiations with the Local are progressing well, and did not provide any additional information or specifics

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday August 27, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters; This meeting is designated to be a work session with Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville

Motion made by Director Boynton and seconded by Director Bazin to adjourn; Motion passed unanimously via voice vote

Meeting adjourned at 2054 hours

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard

Board of Directors' Meeting July 23, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday July 23, 2025

Directors Present: President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Nelson, Harry Boynton, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Real Bazin, John Manning

The meeting was called to order at 1900 hours by President March

Administration Present: Chief Joe Sangermano, Deputy Chief Kassie Lunderville

Guests: None

Meeting Minutes July 9, 2025: No meeting minutes were presented for review and consideration

Treasurer’s Report: No Treasurer’s Report presented

Coordinator’s Activity Report: No Chief Coordinator’s Activity Report presented

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Old Business:

New Recorder – Deputy Lunderville advised the new recorder requires a few simple final touches and racking in order to be completed; Everything is working properly to this point; The final touches will be completed as soon as work can be scheduled

CAD – Deputy Lunderville advised all run card information has been presented to the vendor and they are setting up our system for initial release for training purposes; Due to the complexity of our system, it is anticipated that a significant number of issues will be identified during training that will need to be addressed; Our “go-live” date remains 9/9/25, with dispatcher training scheduled for 9/3 and 9/4/2025; Fees for MDT’s and third party reporting vendor integration were discussed – MDT’s fees will be $335.00 annually per device; The initial integration for the various third party reporting vendors will be $15,000.00 each, which will be divided equally between the departments utilizing each respective vendor application; The annual maintenance fees for these vendors will be $2500.00 annually for each department; All fees will be invoiced to each department by FMA; Chief Sangermano advised the Board that he will be entering into a short-term contract agreement with Symposium, as our current CAD vendor, in order to maintain the current CAD in service until the new CAD has been fully vetted and is proven to the appropriate to go on line fully

Dispatch Consoles – Chief Sangermano advised the new consoles have been ordered, and just awaiting the build out and delivery

IamResponding – Deputy Lunderville advised she is working with the subscription department regarding adding and deleting agencies, and on-site education for our dispatchers remains forthcoming

FMA Utility 1 Truck Body – Chief Sangermano advised the body has been un-crated and inspected, with installation on the truck schedule for this Friday

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – Chief Sangermano provided the Board with the quote for the rood replacement project, at $79,400.00; Director Eaton questioned the vendor who had submitted this quote (Melanson Roofing), and questioned why other bids had not been solicited; Chief Sangermano advised the roofing product being used is a proprietary product, with Melanson being the sole contractor; A motion was made by VP Tirrell and seconded by Director Bazin to move forward with the roof repairs as quoted, upon conformation by Chief Sangermano the current budget balance will accommodate the cost; The motion passed via unanimous voice vote

Beech Hill & Cat Den Sites – Chief Sangermano advised antenna and antenna cable replacements had occurred at both sites; Radio and communications issues at Hyland Hill continue to be problematic, and work is still on-going at Hyland

Hyland Hill Microwave – Chief Sangermano advised Oliver had received a quote from Two-Way Communications in the amount of $42,000.00 for all the necessary microwave equipment, with installation planned to be performed by FMA Shop staff; An additional quote is to be received from CyberComm, as well as from a third vendor; Once all quotes have been received and reviewed, the final purchase determination will be made; The purchase will be paid for from the System Upgrade funds, and not from the System’s operational budget; Oliver is actively researching options for purchasing switches to be installed along with the microwave in order to accept T1 and Ethernet connections; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Boynton to purchase the new microwave system after review of all quotes by Oliver, Chief Sangermano, and Deputy Lunderville; The motion passed unanimously via voice vote

Audit – Chief Sangermano advised contact with auditors (Batchelder Associates) remain ongoing; A contract is anticipated to be signed with the firm by the end of this week; Deputy Lunderville advised the new accounting software (Quick Books) has been installed and is in use

Banking Modifications – Chief Sangermano advised he has had meeting with bank representatives and will be establishing a Sweep Account, which will allow for significant interest yields to the System, which will then be used for investment purposes; Additional modifications are being explored regarding check processing and our accounts overall

Communications System Upgrade – Contracts for consulting and oversight services are being developed and will be completed soon for issuance of RFP’s for services

UTV Replacement – Deputy Lunderville provided quotes for the replacement of our current UTV and snow mobile, with a new UTV with a track system option included; The quotes had been received from Troy Powersports for Polaris and Can-Am machines, and from Full Throttle Power Sports for a Kawasaki machine; The Board wholly decided to postpone any purchase until our financial audit is complete, thereby providing an accurate financial record

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – No update

Customer Communications – No update

MRI System Operational Report – The Board engaged in significant discussion regarding the MRI Report, with specific consideration of the recommendations for improvement provided within the report; The Board collectively prioritized 5 recommendations as those being most beneficial to address immediately
–Development of staff roles and responsibilities and the creation of complete and legitimate job descriptions for all employees and develop and updated organizational chart
– Establish clear channels for staff communications
– Establish a formal complaint handling and performance management process
– Re-structuring of the Leadership Team
– Finalize the ongoing audit contract and completion of the audit;
The Board requested System Administration to present draft job descriptions for review at the next Board meeting; Through this discussion, the Board collectively decided and instructed Administration to postpone promotions and new hires until the prioritized recommendations pertaining to staffing and staff have been completed; The Board discussed with Administration references made within the Report to a poor relationship between Administration and the Board, with both Board micromanagement and lack of Board direction being specifically named; After discussion, the Board and the System Chief Officers simply agreed to make certain lines of communication between us remain open, clear, and concise at all times, which will ultimately not allow for confusion or misunderstandings, and aid in maintaining a solid working and governing relationship

New Business:

Director Bazin questioned an issue he and other departments noted today with Hyland Hill SimulCast, and the inability to hear radio transmissions; Chief Sangermano advised the issues will be investigated immediately

Board of Directors Fiscal Committee – President March announced his appointment of a three-person (Board member) Fiscal Committee, responsible for working with Administration relative to the System’s operation budget, accounting practices, audits, and fiscal responsibilities; The Board members appointed were: Director Manning, Director Bazin, and Director Wilson

Personnel / Staff:

Non-Public Session:

A motion was made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded by Director Boynton to enter into Non-Public Session, under RSA 91 – A:3, II (a) The Board of Directors, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present, entered into Non-Public Session at 2104 hours, inviting Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville to attend

At 2152 hours, the Board of Directors exited Non-Public Session, and returned to open session, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Manning to seal the minutes of the Non-Public Session; Motion passed by unanimous voice vote

Correspondence: None

Open Discussion: None

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday August 13, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded Director Bazin to adjourn; Motion passed

Meeting adjourned at 2120 hours

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard

Board of Directors' Meeting - July 9, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday July 9, 2025

Directors Present: President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Boynton, Thomas Bates, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Real Bazin, Jay Wilson, John Manning
Note: Director Seymour left the meeting at approximately 1945 hours due to a fire department related issue in the City of Keene, and did not return

The meeting was called to order at 1900 hours by President March

Administration Present: Chief Joe Sangermano, Deputy Chief Kassie Lunderville
Note: Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville left the meeting at approximately 2000 hours to assist Keene Fire Department with planning responsibilities relative to a situation on the City of Keene; Both returned to the meeting at approximately 2045 hours

Guests: Don Bliss & MRI Representatives, Peter Denutte

Meeting Minutes June 25, 2025: A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Boynton to approve the minutes of the June 25, 2025 meeting, with one wording correction; Motion Passed via unanimous voice vote

Treasurer’s Report: Chief Sangermano presented a set of financial documents for review; Due to ongoing modifications to the System’s accounting software, and the financials not being completely accurate, the report was tabled

Coordinator’s Activity Report: A motion was made by Director Bazin and seconded by Director Goddard to accept the Chief Coordinator’s report as presented; Motion passed via unanimous voice vote

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Special Presentation to the Board of Directors: Don Bliss and the representatives from MRI presented the final Organizational Assessment and Operational Audit report to the Board; After the presentation, there was a significant amount of discussion by the Board members, with no specific actions taken relative to the report

Secondary to the receipt of this report, the Board discussed the relationship with MRI and Peter Denutte moving forward; The Board wholly agreed that for the purposes of the System communications upgrade project, both would be intimately involved with the System under separate and specific contracts related to the same; The Board also wholly agreed that for the purposes of the System Organizational and Operational Review & Audit, all contractual requirements have been met, and no additional services will be required or requested from either party with regard to System Administration and Operations, to include oversight, mentoring, and input.

Old Business:

New Recorder – No update

CAD – All work being done to develop the new CAD continues smoothly; Our CAD vendor has advised they are back on track, and as such, we are back to our original “go-live” date of September 9, 2025;

Dispatch Consoles – No update

IamResponding – No update

FMA Utility 1 Truck Body - The body has been delivered and is presently at the Keene Fleet Services complex; Plans are in place to have the body installed on the truck within the next week

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – No update

Communications System Upgrade – As the System will be entering into equipment purchase contracts with various vendors very soon, and we will begin to spend grant funds, the Board discussed the need to develop and execute contracts for professional grant management and system upgrade guidance and oversight; A motion was made by Director Bazin and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to establish separate consulting contracts with MRI (Don Bliss) and Peter Denutte for their respective services, with approval provided for President March to sign the contracts upon their completion; Motion passed via unanimous voice vote

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – No update

Hyland and Gilsum Microwave Systems – No update

Beech Hill Site & Cat Den Site – No update

ATV Replacement – No update or action

Tower Site Ownership & Agreements – No update

Customer Communications – No update

New Business:

SimulCast – Due to continued issues with many departments not being satisfied with Simulcast, a motion was made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded by Director Boynton to do away with the use of SimulCast; The motion passed unanimously via voice vote

Banking Modifications – Chief Sangermano provided updates to the Board relative to various System banking functions and operations to be instituted; Additional information will be forthcoming

Personnel / Staff:

Non-Public Session: A motion was made by Director Bazin and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to enter into Non-Public Session, under RSA 91 – A:3, II (a) The Board of Directors, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present, entered into Non-Public Session at 2052 hours, inviting Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville to attend

At 2113 hours, the Board of Directors exited Non-Public Session, and returned to open session, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Tirrell to seal the minutes of the Non-Public Session; Motion passed by unanimous voice vote

New Employee – Chief Sangermano advised the Board that Jack Lyons had been officially hired as part of the Upfit and Radio Shop

Correspondence: None

Open Discussion: None

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday July 23, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded Director Nelson to adjourn; Motion passed

Meeting adjourned at 2130 hours

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard

Board of Directors' Meeting - June 25, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid
Board of Directors Meeting
Wednesday June 25, 2025

Directors Present: President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Nelson, Thomas Bates, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Real Bazin

The meeting was called to order at 1902 hours by President March

Administration Present: Chief Joe Sangermano, Deputy Chief Kassie Lunderville

Guests: None

Meeting Minutes June 11, 2025: A motion was made by Director Nelson and seconded by Director Bazin to approve the minutes of the June 11, 2025 meeting, as presented; Motion Passed via unanimous voice vote

Treasurer’s Report: No Treasurer’s Report presented

Coordinator’s Activity Report: No Coordinator’s Activity Report presented

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Old Business:

New Recorder – The new recorder was installed today; Due to unforeseen issues pertaining to the IP address, this caused problems with the CAD system, causing the CAD to be taken off line; Other issues were also discovered; Our IT vendor was on-site immediately to troubleshoot the problems, resulting in the recorder being taken back off line, and the other issues and faults being returned to normal; A new go-live date will be scheduled in the near future

CAD – All work being done to develop our new CAD is progressing smoothly; Our new CAD vendor has advised that our anticipated go-live date is being pushed out slightly due to them being over-booked during our originally scheduled week, as they have a number of agencies going live during the same week time frame; Given the complexity of our system, they have opted to postpone our date in order to allow them to concentrate solely on our system when it goes live, in the event issues arise; We will have a more defined date later this week

Dispatch Consoles – Pete Denutte has the Motorola order all ready to be placed; We are making final adjustments to the contract, and the order should be placed later this week

IamResponding – No update

FMA Utility 1 Truck Body – No update

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – No update

Communications System Upgrade – Director Eaton advised the Board that $600,000 has been allocated for our system upgrade project via funding secured by Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – No update

Hyland and Gilsum Microwave Systems – A significant amount of discussion took place regarding the microwave system that had been installed at Hyland Hill, followed by the decision to dismantle this system, leaving us with only the original fragile system; It is the intention to have Oliver Fox, as the Radio System Administrator, be the lead person responsible for this work to be completed; A motion was made by Director Bazin and seconded by Director Nelson to purchase a new microwave for Hyland Hill, with its installation to be completed as soon as possible; Motion passed unanimously via voice vote

Beech Hill Site & Cat Den Site – Chief Sangermano advised the antenna replacement work required at Beech Hill and Cat Den has been scheduled for the first and second weeks of July

ATV Replacement – No update or action

MRI Organization Report – President March advised he had received the “Draft” final report from MRI; This draft document is considered a non-public document at this time, for content review only; President March and Vice President Tirrell have reviewed the document, and have noted several issues exist pertaining to content accuracy; These issues will be discussed with MRI, and addresses accordingly; The final public report is planned to be provided to the Board at the July 9, 2025 meeting

New Business:

Tower Site Ownership & Agreements – Chief Sangermano advised a great deal of progress has been made relative to updating ownership information for our tower sites, and developing updated signed agreements for our occupancy at these sites

Customer Communications – Deputy Lunderville explained a new means by which to communicate on a regular basis with our departments (customers); Beginning this summer, and moving forward on a “seasonal basis”, a newsletter will be sent to each department providing information and updates about our system wholly; A rough draft has been started for the first newsletter, which is slated to be completed and sent within the next few weeks; If anyone has any information or thought for inclusion, please contact Kassie

Pesonnel:

Non-Public Session: A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to enter into Non-Public Session, under RSA 91 – A:3, 11(a) The Board of Directors, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present, entered into Non-Public Session at 1956 hours, inviting Chief Sangermano and Deputy Chief Lunderville to attend

At 2102 hours, the Board of Directors exited Non-Public Session, and returned to open session, via roll-call confirmation of approval by each individual Board member present; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Bazin to seal the minutes of the Non-Public Session; Motion passed by unanimous voice vote

Correspondence:

Keene Fire Department – Director Seymour, as Keene Fire Department Deputy Chief, reviewed the various station coverage details present in the City during the funeral services for Lt. Aaron Cooper, Ret; Director Seymour advised there were several departments from outside the area covering the City at different times, and calls for service were high in volume, with several high acuity events and fire responses; Director Seymour acknowledged the strain and extra workload placed upon the Dispatch Center and the dispatchers during this time frame, and wished to acknowledge the professionalism of the dispatchers, and thank them for a phenomenal job done!!!!

MAFCA – Chief Sangermano advised he had extended an invitation to Chief Walker and other MAFCA representatives to attend the BOD meeting scheduled in September, at the last MAFCA meeting; The MAFCA members indicated their preference to have Board members attend a future MAFCA meeting instead; Various Board members indicated they would attend a MAFCA meeting, with the actual specific meeting date to be determined

Open Discussion:

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday July 9, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded Director Nelson to adjourn; Motion passed

Meeting adjourned at 2120 hours

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard

Board of Directors' Meeting June 11, 2025

Southwestern NH District Fire Mutual Aid

Board of Directors Meeting

Wednesday June 11, 2025

Directors Present:

President Ken March, Vice President Phil Tirrell, Directors Thomas Goddard, Harry Boynton, Thomas Bates, Dan Eaton, Greg Seymour, Jay Wilson, John Manning

The meeting was called to order at 1900 hours by President March

Administration Present:

Chief Joe Sangermano

Guests:

Don Bliss & Peter Denutte

Meeting Minutes May 28, 2025:

A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Vice President Tirrell to approve the minutes of the May 28, 2025 meeting, as presented; Motion Passed via unanimous voice vote

Treasurer’s Report:

The Treasurer’s Report was introduced by Chief Sangermano; Director Manning questioned the accuracy of the report as provided, given there seemed to be discrepancies between this report and previous reports; Chief Sangermano advised the Board that in fact the report provided at this meeting was not wholly accurate, due to the fact that all of the specific line item budget figures are being updated in order to clearly indicate up-to-date budget figures, including each line item total budget, and the respective current budget balance; With this work and these updates yet to be completed, the financial report is not accurate; Chief Sangermano also advised that updates to our current accounting software have been purchased, and will be completed as soon as possible; A motion was made by Director Eaton and seconded by Director Wilson to table approval of the Treasurer’s Report; Motion passed via unanimous voice vote

Coordinator’s Activity Report

Chief Sangermano presented his monthly activity report; A motion was made by Director Boynton and seconded by Director Wilson to accept the Coordinator’s Activity Report as presented; Motion passed via unanimous voice vote

Committee Reports:

By-Laws Committee – No Report

Regional Training Committee – No Report

Public Relations Committee – No Report

Old Business:

New Recorder – Our IT vendor is still working on this project

CAD – Monitors have been ordered for Position 2 in Dispatch; CSI has indicated we should have a usable CAD within 2-3 weeks to begin training; Lt. Whipple, Ret., and Lt. Yeatman continue to work diligently on the run cards and putting together the information need by CSI in order to build out the new CAD; Costs associated with integration with the different reporting software used by our customers was discussed briefly

Dispatch Consoles – Motorola engineers were on site last week; Motorola engineers now have all the information required and will put the final touches on the order; Once ordered, the new consoles will be “readily available”

IamResponding – Contact has been re-established with a representative who is much more responsive than the previous representative; Work is being done to establish education and training for the dispatchers

FMA Utility 1 Truck Body – No update

Ladder Bay Roof Replacement – Chief Sangermano advised we are still awaiting quotes

System Communications Upgrade – No update

Grievances – No updates or action

MAFCA Organization Concerns – Director Goddard questioned the anticipated time line for inviting Peterborough FD Chief Walker and other MAFCA representatives to a Board meeting in order to discuss their concerns, as voiced during Annual Meeting; It was decided to invite them to the September 2025 Board Meeting, with Chief Sangermano to remain in contact with the organization and representatives in order to address any issues and/or concerns

Hyland and Gilsum Microwave Systems – Director Goddard questioned the progress being made in purchasing the new equipment necessary to install new microwave systems at our Hyland and Gilsum sites; Pete Denutte advised he is still looking at different options and equipment availability; Updates will follow at the next Board meeting

Beech Hill Site – Chief Sangermano advised the necessary work required at Beech Hill is being scheduled

New Business:

ATV Replacement – No updates or action

Water Rescue Task Force – Chief Sangermano advised that the Water Rescue Task Force, for integration into the new CAD System, will be considered their own independent entity/service

Don Bliss / MIR Review:

Organization Review - Don Bliss advised the Board the contracted organizational review has been completed, and a non-public draft of the report will be provided to President March and Vice President Tirrell within the next few days for their review; The final report, as a public document, will be provided to the Board of Directors on July 9, 2025

Grant Quarterly Report – Don Bliss advised the next quarterly report for the grant funding is approaching, and there are no issues or concerns with its completion and successful submission

System Upgrade Funding – Don Bliss advised he is working with County Administrator Chris Coates in searching for additional funding for the system upgrade project

Internal Hiring & Promotional Processes – Don Bliss indicated MRI will coordinating the upcoming dispatcher hiring process, and may be involved to the same degree with the upcoming promotional process

Peter Denutte Review:

Site Surveys – Pete Denutte advised that Motorola engineers completed their required surveys of all of our radio sites last week, with Oliver providing assistance and technical information throughout the process

Site Issues – Issues with our site relative to equipment, hardware, and communications functions continue to be identified; Oliver is continually prioritizing repairs and maintenance as issues are identified

Future Infrastructure Sharing – Pete Denutte advised there are many options available for Mutual Aid to share site specific infrastructure with CCSO, and consideration should be given to acting upon these opportunities as our system upgrade progresses; More information will be presented and reviewed as we move forward

Payment for Services – Director Goddard questioned the current status of invoices received from Peter Denutte for his services, and any disbursements that have been made for same; Peter advised he has yet to submit any invoices for services provided; The Board indicated the need for invoices to be submitted on a regular basis, with this specific time frame to be determined prior to the next Board meeting

ARPA Project Consultants – The Board discussed the need for specific contracts to be drafted, reviewed, approved, and adopted for consulting services pertaining to the system upgrade project; These contracts need to be addressed very soon, as we are rapidly approaching the time when grant funds will be dispersed; Don Bliss will be provided information relative to the manner in which this process needs to be conducted and provide other agencies to assist as needed

Personnel:                 None

Correspondence:               None

Open Discussion:             

Next Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday June 25, 2025 @ 1900 hours, to be held at FMA Headquarters           

Motion made by Vice President Tirrell and seconded Director Seymour to adjourn; Motion passed

Meeting adjourned at 2142 hours 

Respectfully submitted

Director Thomas Goddard