Juaire retires, calls for change

Marlborough - As a city councilor in Marlborough retires from his day job with the Fire Department, he said the city needs better fire coverage.

According to Ward 4 Councilor Peter Juaire, who is looking back on more than 30 years of service to the city, the fire service is currently stretched, especially on the western side of the city, and more needs to be done.

Juaire served 29 years with the Marlborough Fire Department, on top of six years' prior experience as a call firefighter. He retired July 20.

"Working with the Marlborough firefighters has been the greatest experience of my life," Juaire said.

He is currently serving his second term on the City Council, and said he is the only person who has ever served simultaneously as both a councilor and active firefighter, although one councilor in the 1970s was a former fire captain.

Juaire spent the bulk of his years as a line firefighter, with over four years as a temporary lieutenant. He spent his last 15 years as a driver.

"I was the guy that pulled the hose off the truck," Juaire said.

Juaire said his seat on the City Council gives him an unusual insight into how the city works. He said he first ran for offic e becaus e h e was puzzled why the city did not fulfill more of the department's spending requests.

"I wondered why we don't get things," Juaire said. "But when I got on the council, I saw there is more than one department."

He said he is pleased the city has voted to upgrade the Fire Department with new equipment in the last round of spending, including approving a bond request for a new ladder for over $800,000. He said having the second ladder in the city is a necessity. Marlborough retired a ladder two years ago, and has been making do with one ever since.

But Juaire said he would like to see new reforms to the way the city is handling fire service. The city currently has three stations, a number that has held steady for decades, even though the city's population has grown, with many more businesses now operating near Interstate 495.

"Marlborough has grown drastically over the years, and we as a city have not kept up with the growth," Juaire said.

The station on Pleasant Street covers the western side of the city, Juaire said, and is responsible for an area stretching from Main Street to the mall. It is too large an area for one fire station to cover, he said.

"That truck is just taking a beating," Juaire said. "Its district is so big."

He said if the Pleasant Street fire truck is tied up on a call and another engine is needed to respond to the western side of the city, there could be a delay in arriving at the scene of the second emergency.

"You're talking a 10-minute ride," Juaire said.

He suggested that the city consider building a new fire station and look at other ways to improve service to residents in the city, and especially on its western side.

"We need another engine with another crew on duty," Juaire said.

With his retirement, Juaire said he is taking a bit more time at his small house in Maine. He also runs a business, and even though he will not be reporting for work at the Fire Department, he remains busy. But he said he misses working with the other people in the department.

"It's been great," Juaire said. "I've loved every minute of it."