Firewards raise concerns over Sunapee Cove call volume and staffing

Firewards said Sunapee Cove Assisted Living & Memory Care has become another strain on the Sunapee Fire Department, which logged 694 emergency calls in 2025 while still handling fire scenes, medical runs, crashes and Lake Sunapee rescues. The issue came into focus at the Board of Firewards meeting June 18, where officials said repeated calls from the Route 11 facility were forcing a staffing discussion as crews are also being pulled across town on other emergencies.

Sunapee Cove sits at 1250 Route 11 in Sunapee and advertises assisted living, memory care, respite care and rehab, along with round-the-clock staffing and transportation to medical appointments. Firewards later said they had met with Sunapee Cove staff and residents. Officials said residents were worried after a Massachusetts fire, and they understood the facility was at full capacity with only about two staff on overnight, a setup they said could become a problem if something happened. They also said the building had a couple of hospice patients.

The concern highlights a gap between the kind of support an assisted-living facility says it provides and the kind of response a fire department is asked to deliver. Fire officials said the department was not always having to respond, but the calls still tied up local emergency resources. That matters in a town where the department already is covering a wide range of incidents, and where its public-facing workload includes a 24/7 live dispatch feed.

The staffing and call-volume issue did not start in June. In April, Firewards minutes showed only $100 budgeted for medical supplies, a figure officials said would certainly be overspent. Those same minutes said AED pads had expired and the department was responsible for about 10 town AEDs. Officials also raised ambulance staffing and cost concerns, while a new truck remained on track for June or July.

The Board of Firewards currently includes Josh Trow, John Paris and Matthew Gross. The town lists Interim Fire Chief Matthew Pollari, Assistant Chief Steve Marshall, Captain Steve Marshall and Timothy White as command staff contacts. Together, the June discussion and the spring minutes show a department trying to keep pace with medical demand, overnight coverage questions and a call load that is already stretching local service.