Sanbornton swears in two full-time firefighter-EMTs

 By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

SANBORNTON — The swearing-in on Wednesday of two full-time firefighter-EMTs was the culmination of three years of effort to ensure shift coverage, said Sanbornton Fire Chief Paul Dexter.

The chief administered the oath of office to firefighter-paramedic Kenneth Carleton and firefighter-advanced EMT Dan Chapman during a brief ceremony at the fire station after the selectmen had approved the hiring of the two full-time personnel.

The department has 16 local on-call firefighters and seven per diem firefighters it can call upon, but the fire chief has been the only full-time member of the department. Dexter said the two new full-timers will enable the department to be staffed daily.

“Staffing during the late hours has always been a problem,” Dexter said. “It’s looking like we’ll be able to have a paramedic on every shift now, which will be a good thing for the community.”

Carleton is joining the Sanbornton Fire Department as a 22-year firefighter, most recently serving for 12 years in Newport. He has been a paramedic since 2008.

With his wife, Vanessa, he has a 22-year-old daughter and a 23-year-old stepdaughter. Carleton said he will be moving to Sanbornton once they sell their home in Newport.

Chapman is a Sanbornton native, noting that he is from a family of police officers on both his mother’s and father’s side of the family. His mother, Ginger, is a paramedic in Sanbornton, and he decided to join the fire department four years ago. He gained his first certification as an emergency medical technician in 2013 and has just become an advanced EMT.

Chapman is married to Aubrey Chapman and has three children: Owen, 5, Kenley, 3, and Joel, 1.

Sanbornton Fire Chief Paul Dexter administers the oath of office to Kenneth Carleton and Dan Chapman during a brief ceremony at the Sanbornton Fire Station on Wednesday. (Tom Caldwell/Laconia Daily Sun)