Volunteer fire force approved Public debate sparks Fort Fairfield move

FORT FAIRFIELD – An ordinance that would change the local Fire Department to an all-volunteer force was unanimously approved Wednesday by the Fort Fairfield Town Council.

The action was taken a day after a public hearing was held on the proposal during which nearly 40 residents debated the issue for about 90 minutes.

The council meeting was quieter than the hearing, according to council Chairman Stephen Ulman. No members of the public showed up for the council’s deliberation and vote.

“It’s always a tough decision when a community reduces in size,” Ulman said Wednesday regarding the need to cut municipal expenses to fit a smaller tax base.

The ordinance, which takes effect July 1, will eliminate two full-time firefighter positions. A full-time chief will remain to manage the volunteer force.

The town attempted several years ago to change the composition of the Fire Department. However, a local referendum reversed the council’s intentions.

This time, Ulman said the department has more volunteers and they are better trained.

“At this point in time, quite a lot has changed [since then],” Ulman said.

The change will save $82,000 out of the department’s $188,000 budget, town officials said earlier. The department’s list of volunteers contains about 30 people, according to town officials.

During his presentation at Tuesday’s public hearing, Town Manager Dan Foster said that the current system is not what the town needs with its dwindling population.

“Everyone has their issues, everybody has their turf they need to protect,” said Foster.

Diana Mulherin, who was involved in the previous referendum process to preserve the department, predicted that someday the town would have to go to an all-volunteer department. She said she was concerned that the volunteers should like to work and train together.

“We need to have more than 50 percent of the volunteers show up,” Mulherin said, regarding poor attendance at training sessions.

The resident also said she was concerned about Fire Chief Paul Durepo living in Limestone instead of Fort Fairfield.

The two full-time firefighters expressed concern about the need for training of volunteers.

“At a structure fire today, only one [volunteer] showed up, was [trained] to enter the building with a Scott Air Pack,” said Freeman Dyer, a full-time firefighter. The air pack contains compressed air that allows a firefighter to breathe in a smoke-filled building.

Another resident, local police Officer Matt Cassavant also was concerned about training, citing a motor vehicle accident in which some volunteers didn’t appear to know how to operate the extrication equipment.

“It looked like a Chinese fire drill,” said Cassavant.