2 - Town of Colchester

Public Safety
Colchester participates in the Resident State Trooper Program where Towns utilize state police (from the Troop K
barracks in Colchester) for local law enforcement. In addition, Colchester has six full-time officers with another
currently in training. This arrangement appears capable of meeting Colchester’s needs during the planning period and the
office and administrative space at the Town Hall is expected to be adequate.
Fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) in Colchester are provided by the Colchester-Hayward Volunteer
Fire Department. Colchester has two stations, the main station in the village and a satellite station in Westchester.
Services are provided by a combination of paid and volunteer staff with paid staff on duty at the main station during the
day when volunteer response is most difficult. Attracting and retaining volunteer staff is becoming more difficult due to
increased training requirements. Colchester has already started the transition to paid staffing and programs to encourage
volunteer participation or improve daytime response should be considered. Traffic congestion is likely to always be an
issue unless additional road connections are made.
Meeting Survey
How are Town efforts at
providing public safety
services
Too Little 17%
Just Right 83%
Too Much 0%
While current public safety facilities appear adequate, the need for more public safety personnel and equipment will
become apparent as the community grows. At some time during the planning period, it may make sense to investigate the
establishment of a public safety complex at an appropriate location.
Main Fire Station Westchester Fire Station
83