March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Medway to ponder fire protection services

MEDWAY — Fire protection services will be the topic of a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, at the Town Office.

Town officials want to know what townspeople think about existing fire services. Do townspeople want neighboring East Millinocket to provide fire services? Do townspeople want East Millinocket to provide daytime coverage only?

A problem Medway has faced over the past year is a lack of volunteer manpower for daytime fires.

Earlier this year, Medway officials saw that East Millinocket was being called more and more to fight fires in Medway. Selectmen of both towns became concerned about the cost to East Millinocket.

Medway decided to restructure its department by increasing volunteer pay rates and decided to train public works employees to respond to daytime fires with Medway’s fire trucks.

Although efforts are under way to solve the problem, officials agree it is not completely resolved.

Medway officials, who are beginning 1994 budget deliberations, said they wanted to be prepared to answer questions at town meeting with projected costs of alternative fire protection services for the town. So they asked East Millinocket officials to provide some costs for alternative fire services.

“I don’t believe we have the authority to make a decision saying you are going to take over our fire department. That is going to have to be decided by the taxpayers of the town of Medway,” said Medway Selectman Dave Rossignol during a meeting this week between Medway and East Millinocket selectmen.

Although Medway officials asked for a cost estimate for East Millinocket to provide complete fire protection, Steve Cram, chairman of the Medway selectmen, said officials were not serious in seeking that information.

Cram said Medway was serious about some kind of a mutual-aid agreement or East Millinocket providing daytime fire protection.

For East Millinocket to provide Medway with full fire coverage, East Millinocket officials said it would cost $33,000 a year, which would include paying firefighters and all service and maintenance of Medway’s newest truck and tanker.

Also, it would include an agreement that the costs for any major repairs like a pump or an engine be worked out.

“The only way this would work out is if your firefighters were interested in becoming one (department) because there is no way we could take on Medway with (the number) of our firemen. We don’t have enough people,” said Fire Chief Les Brown.

To provide day coverage from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Brown said it would cost Medway $15,000 a year, which would include using East Millinocket’s equipment, and paying firefighters from both towns.

Selectmen of both towns also discussed mutual aid. Cram said he understood that Medway could not provide equal fire services to East Millinocket because East Millinocket did not have as many fires.

John Rouleau, chairman of the East Millinocket Selectmen, said it was not so much matching each other fire for fire, but that the town was facing a major tax refund request.

After the joint session, Medway selectmen met to determine who would have authority to call East Millinocket firefighters to assist at fires in Medway.

Medway firefighters, Medway police, or selectmen at the scene are authorized to call East Millinocket’s Fire Department for assistance.

Also, officials agreed that Medway firefighters would let the East Millinocket Fire Department know when they are en route to a fire.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like