By Beurmond Banville
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Copyright 2006 Bangor Daily News
LIMESTONE, Maine — The Loring Development Authority gave its administration the authority Wednesday to continue negotiations for fire protection and ambulance service in an attempt to reduce the cost of using a full-time service on the former air base.
The LDA has been negotiating with Limestone and Fort Fairfield for fire protection and with Caribou for fire protection mutual aid and ambulance service.
The LDA has housing and a school on the 4,286 acres it oversees. Residential units house 175 people, not including the 296 students at the Loring Job Corps Center, and the 1,270 people who work at job sites on the Loring Commerce Center.
Negotiations have been under way for months. The LCC has a fire department with six full-time and six part-time firefighters. Ambulance service is presently furnished by the Caribou Fire and Ambulance Department.
They are looking to start fire protection services under a one-year contract.
So far, they are looking at having a full-time public safety officer, and would retain all equipment of the present fire department. The PSO would oversee public and workplace safety issues including fire and EMS response. He would oversee contracts and make recommendations for fire and emergency services. He would also oversee fire prevention programs and write grants.
The contract they are looking at for fire protection with Limestone-Fort Fairfield is estimated to cost $60,000 a year. That would cover all fire response services.
Paul Durepos, fire chief for both Limestone and Fort Fairfield, would oversee operations at emergency scenes. His volunteer personnel would have access to fire department equipment presently on Loring.
If the contract comes to fruition, Durepos would oversee fire protection over an area of 100 square miles.
The proposal is not without its detractors.
LDA trustee Philip St. Peter said he doesn’t like the idea of going to a volunteer fire service. He said the LCC has been successful with a full-time fire department.
“Nights, especially, could be a problem,” St. Peter said.
He and trustee Doug Beaulieu voted against a proposal to continue negotiations started by trustees Ed Therrien and Philip Parent.
“This proposal, as it is, does not give me a great deal of comfort,” Beaulieu said.
James Donnelly, chairman of the LDA, reminded trustees that the negotiations are going on because the LDA needs to look at ways to save money.
“We just can’t go on like this,” he said. “We need time to pin down the details.”
Carl Flora, president and CEO of the LDA, said voluntary response by the Limestone-Fort Fairfield department is nearly the same as full-time firefighters.
Flora said it could be a couple of weeks before the details are worked out and the transition time may be even longer.
In the end, trustees voted 7-2 to continue negotiations. A special meeting may be needed to approve a contract.
The next regular meeting of the LDA is scheduled for September.