SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) – A brief meeting was held Friday night by the first district’s Prudential Committee, after a small group of taxpayers voted to reject funding salaries for personnel at Fire District Number One.

The Prudential Committee is responsible for the fiscal oversight of this station. Fire District One Spokesperson, Jason Houle tells 22News about what’s at stake if they do not get that funding approved. “We have never heard of this happening anywhere across the state, if we were to get voted down in the next meeting, there will have to be some serious conversations, with the town and fire district two.”

Wednesday, May 17 has officially been slated for a meeting, to further discuss and vote on the budget for District One’s Fire Department in South Hadley. This after taxpayers voted down an article that would have funded the salaries of dozens of firefighters and paramedics.

Some of the residents explaining to 22News reasons for turning down the vote, saying they wanted more specifics on what the article actually funded, But Houle says not approving the budget not only means a loss of jobs, but also of dire services for the community.

“If services had to come outside of the district, you are looking at longer response times, if they need ALS service, paramedic level service, we don’t know where that would come from, how long it would even take to get there, or if it would even get there,” says Houle. “They may only get a BLS ambulance if that’s all that is available.”

Captain Houle says that the department averages around 400 fire calls annually, as well as 2,700 ambulance calls a year, most of which require a paramedic. Now the countdown is on for July 1st, the deadline for a decision to be made on the funding, which could result in the un-employment of dozens of firefighters and paramedics.

May 17, the Prudential Committee will be meeting, that will be at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School.