By Liz Markhlevskaya
Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.
LEBANON, Maine — Two deputy rescue chiefs have recently resigned after the department’s decision to give up its paramedic license, meaning that the town has to rely on neighboring communities for medical calls requiring advanced help.
Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Meehan said the decision to downgrade the town’s license from “paramedic” to “advanced” was made under the guidance of Maine EMS, which regulates the town’s ambulance and EMT licenses. The decision did not involve a vote by the selectmen, he said. In cases where medical calls in Lebanon require paramedic skills, such as administering narcotic or cardiac medication, Lebanon now calls rescue services in Sanford, North Berwick, and Frisbie Memorial Hospital, which is the primary responder for Rochester, N.H. Meehan said he already has agreements with Frisbie and Sanford for primary paramedic response, and is working on an agreement with North Berwick.
The decision to give up the paramedic license is due to lacking equipment and internal personnel issues at the department, said Meehan. The town’s two ambulances, he said, are not stocked at the paramedic level and are lacking equipment such as IV pumps, which cost about $1,500 each.
On Saturday, residents will gather for an informational meeting to discuss recent changes at the Rescue Department. Meehan will be at the meeting to address the many concerns residents have expressed in recent weeks. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, at the Lebanon Elementary School.
Meehan, who began the chief’s position last month, said that during Saturday’s meeting he hopes to address some misinformation he has seen discussed on the Internet.
Recently, someone created a Facebook page called “Lebanon Rescue Department — Command Central,” which is not the official page for the Rescue Department. That Facebook page over the past couple of weeks has brought up issues pertaining to Meehan’s stipend, the town’s paramedic license, and an array of other issues. The page claims that it is operated by current and former Rescue Department members.
In a phone interview Tuesday, Meehan said the page contains “twisted information” regarding the rescue service in order to upset residents.
But David Hutchinson, who until recently worked as the rescue deputy chief of training, said he doesn’t believe information on the page is misrepresented. He said he doesn’t know who runs the page.
Hutchinson resigned from his post last week, after being told by Meehan that he could no longer perform his paramedic duties and instead could only work on the level of “responder,” performing only basic EMT duties. Tuesday morning, Kevin Romano, who served as deputy chief of operations, also resigned. Hutchinson and Romano were the only two paramedics for the Rescue Department.
Meehan confirmed that he had told Romano to resign or he would be terminated from his position, after Romano expressed concern about the town’s loss of paramedic license. Meehan would not explain the circumstances of his departure, citing internal personnel matter.
Hutchinson said he resigned because he would no longer be able to use his skills as a paramedic to save someone’s life.
“I have a huge problem standing there in front of a patient that I could potentially save ... and now I would be forced to do minimal skill sets, waiting for somebody else to do the job,” he said. “I want to provide the highest level of care that I possibly can.”
Hutchinson said he’s concerned about other communities’ ability to adequately respond to rescue calls in Lebanon. He noted that Frisbie’s primary service area is Rochester, which has a population of approximately 30,000 people.
Meehan, however, stated that based on previous calls requiring mutual aid, he is confident that neighboring rescue services will be able to respond to Lebanon in a timely manner.
He also said the Rescue Department will look to regain its paramedic license after issues at the department are “squared away.”
Chief’s stipend and command vehicle
Among the many rescue-related questions brought by residents is the stipend Meehan is paid for the chief’s position. Meehan was hired in January as fire chief, for a monthly stipend of $1,200, which he said he still receives. After he was hired, Meehan also took on the position of rescue chief, after former chief Jenny Sheriff resigned. Sheriff received $1,200 for her position. According to Meehan, in discussing his rescue chief compensation with the selectmen, Meehan had asked for either a $600 monthly stipend or for the ability to use the rescue command vehicle. The selectmen had agreed to allow him to use the command vehicle as part of his compensation as rescue chief, he said.
Selectman Chairman Ben Thompson did not return Foster’s inquiries by press time on Tuesday.
Meehan, who lives on Milton Road in Rochester, uses the rescue command vehicle to drive between his home and the Lebanon rescue station, as well as to drive to meetings and rescue calls, he said, noting that the vehicle is not an ambulance. He said he does not believe that his ability to respond quickly to calls are being affected by the arrangement.
“I live close enough to the Lebanon border that I can get to some streets faster than an ambulance or a fire truck,” said Meehan.
©2015 the Foster’s Daily Democrat (Dover, N.H.)