East Hampton Board Approves Fire, EMS Contract Covering Two Districts

The East Hampton Town Board on August 7 approved a two-year contract with East Hampton Village to provide fire protection and ambulance services to two of the town’s five fire protection districts, amending the resolution language after a resident raised concerns about clarity.

The agreement, for calendar years 2026 and 2027, covers the Northwest Fire Protection District and the newly renamed East Hampton Water Supply and Fire Protection District. It combines what had previously been separate contracts for each district.

Under the contract, the village fire department will provide firefighting vehicles, equipment and personnel, and the ambulance corps will supply vehicles, equipment and personnel for emergency medical services. Total cost to the town for 2025 fire and ambulance coverage in the two districts is $678,118, according to the meeting notice.

Gerard “Jerry” Tursza Jr., the village’s fire and EMS administrator, defended the contract costs and described the rising price of equipment and supplies. Outfitting a firefighter can now run $7,500 to $10,000, he said, with a coat and pants alone climbing from $2,500 pre-pandemic to $5,000 today.

“This is a very costly business,” Tursza said. “There’s an ever-increasing burden … but the taxpayer [gets] qualified and equipped personnel” along with service benefits, such as improved ISO ratings that can lower homeowners’ insurance. He credited the Northwest substation with reducing insurance costs for some residents “tens of thousands of dollars” and said the equipment there, including brush fire trucks and a communications vehicle, serves the entire town.

Citizen David Buda objected to combining the two districts into one agreement, arguing it could make it harder to fairly apportion costs between them. 

“The public hearing that was held on July 1st was somewhat bewildering to me because this year, unlike prior years, the town and the village decided to negotiate one combined contract to cover the services to be provided to these two separate and distinct fire protection districts,” Buda said. He also criticized the town’s lack of response to his prior inquiries and questioned whether the combined contract benefits both districts equally. 

“I have to wonder if it is entirely fair to lump the residents of the two separate fire protection districts together to the extent that the principal driver for the substantial tax rate increase appears to have been a very deliberate plan to provide a financial benefit primarily, if not exclusively, for the residents of only the Northwest Fire Protection District,” Buda said.

The board amended the resolution to more clearly state that it covers both districts and to make minor wording corrections.

“I apologize for [not responding] on behalf of the town,” Council member Tom Flight told Buda, adding that the Northwest equipment “is of massive value for the entire East Hampton.” The amended resolution passed unanimously.