NORWOOD – If you feel like the town has changed a bit since 1977, you’re right. The population is up, the traffic is denser, and the buildings are taller. But according to a sobering new staffing study released by the Norwood Fire Department, one thing has remained almost exactly the same: the number of firefighters available to protect you.
In 2025, Chief Bailey contracted an independent study to determine if the department was properly equipped to handle the modern hazards of Norwood. The findings, released via social media this week, were blunt: The department is significantly understaffed for the reality of 2026.
The data paints a startling picture of a department “doing more with less” to a breaking point. By comparing today’s numbers to those from nearly five decades ago, the strain on our local first responders becomes clear:
Line Firefighters 1977: 59; 2026: 60
Ambulances Staffed 1977: 1; 2026: 2
Total Annual Calls 1977: 2,909; 2026: 7,200+
While the department added a second ambulance to keep up with medical emergencies, they haven’t added the personnel to match. This means the NFD is currently staffing more vehicles with effectively the same number of people as they had during the Carter administration.
The study highlights that Norwood’s daytime population and local hazards have “swelled significantly,” far outpacing the department’s growth. The situation reached a critical tilt following the closure of Norwood Hospital, which stripped away a vital local resource and forced ambulances to spend more time on the road traveling to distant ERs, leaving fewer boots on the ground back home.
“The short answer that was made apparent quite quickly was… No,” the department stated regarding whether they are staffed for current hazards. “The closure of Norwood Hospital only exacerbated an already strained staffing model.”
The town promises to host a series of informational sessions to dive deeper into the study’s data, explain the risks of the current model, and outline the necessary steps to modernize the force. Inside Norwood will pass on those dates as soon as we get them.
For a town that has grown steadily for half a century, NFD’s message is clear: it’s time for the safety infrastructure to finally catch up. -RD
