FARMINGTON – The towns of Farmington and Industry are discussing the best options for fire protection services in Industry, with a possible Memorandum of Understanding between the two towns that would allow Farmington to provide additional fire protection services beyond the existing mutual aid agreements.
Last fall, Farmington Fire was approached by the Industry select board to discuss options for fire protection services. Chief Timothy ‘TD’ Hardy and former town manager Christian Waller met with members of the select board to discuss the proposal, which was presented to the Farmington select board Tuesday night.
The proposal was for $30,000 for one year, pending approval for funding from the Industry taxpayers. The Industry select board is expected to present the proposal to Industry residents at the annual town meeting.
Under the current proposal the Industry Fire Department would maintain an operations budget for their equipment.
Based on recent figures, Farmington expects to respond to 35 calls in Industry per year. In addition to structure fires and other service calls, Industry Fire provides trained first responders for certain medical emergencies in Industry in addition to EMS coverage from NorthStar Ambulance; Farmington Fire would not be expected to respond to those calls with rare exceptions.
Stephan Bunker said that he was in favor of the proposal and that it is a step in the right direction; if the proposal is successful it could provide a model for other agencies in the area that are struggling for adequate staffing and administrative duties.
“It’s not getting any easier in the volunteer service to keep these operations going,” Bunker said.
The $30,000 is an estimate to cover the cost of services for Farmington. Industry is expected to continue budgeting for their fire department personnel, equipment, and operations.
“The goal is to have their staff do the same kind of the things they’re doing now,” Chief Hardy said. Farmington Fire would assist with administrative duties such as record keeping, incident reporting, bookkeeping and budgeting, and personnel matters. Farmington Fire would also provide emergency response to all fire and rescue calls to support the Industry Fire Department response, and provide both personnel training and equipment maintenance in accordance with the Maine Bureau of Labor Standards requirements.
Selectman Byron Staples asked if the town attorney had reviewed the document. Chief Hardy said that the attorney had seen it, and that they were waiting to dig into the legal end until Industry voters had the chance to vote on the proposal.
Chief Hardy said that Industry representatives may wish to meet again before the Industry town meeting, and Bunker agreed to attend and speak on behalf of Farmington.
No formal action was taken by the Farmington board. The Industry town meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 11, at 2 p.m.
The Farmington select board also reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding between Farmington and Franklin County with regards to an upgrade to the county-wide communications system.
Selectman Josh Bell asked why the county didn’t budget for the initial set-up fees instead of charging the individual towns with municipal police departments; every agency that uses the system also pays an annual fee for the maintenance of the service and the record keeping system.
Tim Hardy, with Franklin County Emergency Management Agency, said that any towns that wanted to come on the system in the future would have to pay for their own licenses to use the program.
Chief Hardy added that the county is covering the full cost for the CAD (computer aided dispatch) system, which is used by NorthStar EMS and every fire department in the county, as well as every law enforcement agency in the county; the county is also covering the cost of the sheriff’s department set-up fees and the record keeping program for the sheriff’s office.
Farmington is being asked to pay for the cost of Farmington’s licenses for the upgrade, Police Chief Ken Charles said.
Bunker expressed his concerns about the county-town relationship as the town already contributes to the regional tax base of the county; he supported the proposal on the table but added that there are other discussions to consider with the county. Bell agreed with Bunker’s concerns about the county’s process.
The board approved the signing of the MOU, but had to delay signing the actual document until it could be modified to remove the former town manager’s name and have Board Chair Matt Smith’s name included as the town representative.
Charles recommended putting the funding into the next year’s operational budget as payment is required by the end of 2024. The upgraded system is expected to be implemented in late 2024.
This meeting was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and is available for viewing online at MtBlueTV.org
