AYER, Mass. — A group of local fire departments are calling for help from the Healey administration in the form of $9.6 million. The need for funding comes just four months after the closure of the Nashoba Valley Medical Center.

Steward Health closed the Nashoba Valley Medical Center on Aug. 31 and it’s already put a strain on the communities it served. Now, the 13 fire chiefs of the Nashoba Valley region said they need immediate financial support from the state to safely and effectively operate their Emergency Medical Services.

“We're at a critical point where, it's become very severe for us and trying to manage this, this issue," Groton Fire Chief Arthur Cheeks said. "So, any help that we can get at the state level, the governor's level is going to be appreciated, and really, it's what's needed in this area.”

“I think the letter was necessary to make sure that we stay at the forefront," Ayer Fire Chief Timothy Johnston said. "Like, 'hey, the hospital closed, but nothing here changed. EMS is still, you know, in a tough spot out in this part of town.'”

Chief Cheeks of Groton and Chief Johnston from Ayer are two of the 13 fire department heads who wrote a letter to Gov. Maura Healey saying they’re in a crisis. The chiefs, along with their town leaders and state delegation are requesting $9.6 million in funding to stabilize the Emergency Medical Response System of their region.

“2024 was actually a huge increase in requests for calls for us," Cheeks said. "But once the hospital closed, it created, quite a, you know, stir as we had to increase the amount of travel that we're doing.”

Cheeks said with the closure of the hospital in Ayer, Groton EMS is averaging about an hour and 40 minutes for transport times which skyrockets overtime pay costs. Johnston said the same goes for Ayer which has a slightly larger department and it’s taking a toll on first responders.

“We used to be in our area all the time in 40 minutes for over 80% of our calls," Johnston said. "Now we're out of our jurisdiction for probably closer to two hours every time we leave the area.”

“We're burning out our firefighters and EMTs and with overtime," Cheeks said. "And then we need to take into account their mental health as well.”

They said calls from Nashoba Valley are increasing the patient loads at hospitals in Concord, Leominster, Lowell and Nashua, NH as well.

“And it is not just the towns around the hospital, 6 or 8 towns," Johnston said. "It's a larger community is a ripple effect.”

“Now you have to take into account not only travel time, but wall time with that patient in order to be able to transfer the care of that patient to the hospital staff," Cheeks said. "So sometimes you're standing in the hallway of that of that hospital for upwards of 20 minutes just to transfer the care, of that patient. So again, that ripple goes pretty wide.”

The fire departments said their 2025 budgets were set when Nashoba Valley Medical closed its doors last year and while they said Governor Healey has been responsive, they’re hoping their call for help is answered.

“Our hope is that even if we were to get that hospital, you know, they get an operator and they get it to go back online," Johnston said, "we're still talking 18 months at minimum. So, we just need a little relief.”

The fire chiefs said the governor’s office has responded, saying Healey will visit the departments soon with a plan or some further information. The fire departments also hope to continue the talks moving forward to get an operator for Nashoba Valley Medical Center.