On Feb. 13, Wilton Fire Chief Don Nourse explained the workings of an 1851 Hunneman & Company tanker wagon, the town’s first piece of firefighting equipment. Doing so, he made a point about his department that is as true now as it was when the tanker was in use.

“You don’t plan emergencies,” said Nourse. “People take for granted that when they call 911, someone will show up.”

Nourse has been “showing up” to emergencies in this region as Wilton’s chief since 2020, and will retire from the post on April 1. 

He joined the department in 1982 after graduating from high school in town, took a break from the job to raise his son and returned to the department in 2011. After Chief Jim Cutter retired, the department put forth the idea of a full-time chief, which had not existed previously. Nourse became the town’s first full-time chief five years ago, and has seen no shortage of changes in firefighting.

“Years ago, we’d have six members of a crew on an engine,” said Nourse. “You had to fight for a seat on it. Now – three.”

Other realities he shared make it clear that staffing is an ongoing issue with departments in the region.

“We’ve gone to Marlborough to cover their station while they’re out on a call, and we’ve had Ashby, Mass., come here to cover for us,” he said, adding that for one emergency in New Boston, a tanker from Bow responded. 

A volunteer fire department poses another challenge. Nourse said that there are some firefighters who sometimes can’t get away from full-time jobs to respond.

“If someone’s a contractor and is in the middle of ripping someone’s kitchen apart…,” he said, adding that this means firefighting must be more efficient. It can also mean longer response times.

Firefighting has often involved two or more generations in a family joining the ranks. Nourse said that there are still cases, but today’s transient society has made them rarer. 

“People move, and their children settle elsewhere,” said Nourse, adding that vacation trends have also impacted responses for some departments. “Years ago someone might be on a summer break at Greenfield State Park and would still respond to a call,” but many people take time a greater distance from home these days.

This has led to an irony of today’s firefighting that Nourse pointed out.

“We have better equipment, better breathing apparatuses than years ago, but fewer people fighting fires,” he said. 

Asked how he’ll spend his time after April 1, Nourse said it will be with family, noting his grandchildren.

“They’re the ones who’ve borne the brunt of this work – the calls at all hours,” he said, noting that much earlier that day, a call came in for a blaze in Lyndeborough at 1 a.m. 

In his office at the fire station, Nourse reflected on his efforts in the post.

“You try to educate the people who got out (of a fire, so that they’ll be safer in the future) and you also remember the people you couldn’t help,” he said.

He also noted a key initiative he has worked on as Wilton’s chief. 

“Inspections, and following up on them has been a priority,” he said. “You can make recommendations and tell people what they need to do in terms of code and violations, but you need to check back and see that they did it. One positive change that I think this effort has made is that things are safer.”