KINGSTON - A new full-time police officer, a full-time fire chief, funds for replacing fire apparatus and the central fire station are possible petition warrant articles for the March ballot.

Although petition warrant articles aren’t due until Jan. 11, Police Chief Donald W. Briggs Jr. and Fire Chief Norm Hurley say they know what is needed to offer adequate service to Kingston residents in the coming years and have already outlined their citizens petition warrant articles.

Briggs said the Police Department has been understaffed for too long and it’s starting to affect the safety of officers as well as the community at large.

"Many shifts, especially on the weekends, are understaffed, which leaves officers at risk of injury or death," he said. "It reduces the ability for officers to respond to emergencies in a timely fashion. Because we are short-handed it puts everyone at risk, not only the residents of the community, but officers themselves."

Last year at this time Briggs approached the Board of Selectmen about hiring a full-time police officer but it asked him to hold off for a year. Now he is back with his proposal.

The Police Department has 14 officers but only eight are full time. Briggs said the safe average is to have two officers for every 1,000 people.

Briggs said the department has been experiencing heavy turnover with officers only staying a couple of years and moving onto a larger department that pays more.

"It’s a constant revolving door where officers come and go," he said. "Most departments in New Hampshire are going through the same situation. Now we require a full-time officer to do a three-year contract."

The last time voters were asked to approve a full-time police officer was about four years ago. Since then, Briggs said he’s had to use numerous part-time officers to fill empty full-time positions.

The warrant article asks voters to raise and appropriate money for an entry-level patrolman. Briggs said he is not sure how much the department will be asking voters for to pay for the position.

The Police Department also plans to ask voters to approve $1,000 for a special revenue account for police outside details. This warrant article carries no tax impact because the department collects fees for the details that pays for officers time and brings in extra money.

Hurley said the Fire Department will be presenting three petition warrant articles to voters. He will ask for $60,000 for future replacement of fire apparatus, $75,000 to put in a capital reserve fund for the replacement of the Kingston’s Main Street fire station, and $29,000 for a full-time fire chief.

All Fire Department engines, ambulances, tanker and forestry trucks are on a replacement cycle. The schedule calls for an ambulance to be replaced in 2006 and a fire engine in 2008.

Hurley said if the department saves now it won’t be a large expense later down the road. The same thing goes for a new fire station. Firefighters can barely get fire trucks in and out of the station’s bays.

"We recognize our station is quite inadequate for fire service," he said. "We believe we need to put money away so it’s not a major bond and it’s not a surprise. We are trying to get ahead of the game."

In terms of the fire chief position Hurley said as president of the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs and owning his own business, he does not have time to dedicate to the amount of work that needs to be done. That’s why the department is interested in bringing on a full-time chief.

"We need to have people in there planning and doing administration," he said. "Someone needs to pay attention to that. There is not enough time in the day. It’s hard for me to work it."

Hurley has been with the Kingston Fire Department for 20 years and chief for 13 years.

The police and fire departments will talk about the petition warrant articles with selectmen and host public hearings. Ultimately the proposal goes on the warrant the way it’s presented. Selectmen can only add whether they recommend the warrant article.

Other proposed warrant articles include: giving the Board of Selectmen the ability to buy and sell portions of town-owned land; increasing the tax exemption for the blind; establishing a third commercial zone along Route 125; updating the town’s flood hazard zone associated with flood insurance; amending the town’s aquifer protection district; and changing the process for town subdivision applications.