Manitou completed a study of the fire service in the Town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts and presented its findings in November 2018. The Great Barrington Fire Department, currently staffed with a career Chief and a full-time inspector/firefighter. The bulk of service is provided by paid-call members. Manitou’s review included interviews, a survey, and analysis of incident and community data. The study laid out a process for setting standards, reporting performance, and a roadmap to adding career staff and increasing stand-by details to assure improved coverage.

An article on the study presentation was reported by the Berkshire Eagle newspaper https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/consultant-great-barrington-fire-department-needs-more-staff,556575?.