DAYTON — Residents from both Lyman and Dayton will vote whether to approve money to allow 24-hour staffing at the Goodwin’s Mills Fire-Rescue Department, which serves both towns.
The proposal would increase the Fire-Rescue Department’s budget by $64,200. Dayton’s share of this would be $25,680, and Lyman’s share would be $38,520, according to Fire-Rescue Chief Roger Hooper.
The proposal was discussed at a public hearing in Dayton Monday night, attended by more than 40 people at the town’s municipal building.
Hooper said from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., the department is staffed with two firefighter/emergency medical technicians.
“After 5 p.m., we revert back to a volunteer-style fire department,” said Hooper.
The around-the-clock staffing initiative would place an EMT on board during the hours the department is not currently staffed. The additional staff would mean faster response time and more dependable service, said Hooper.
The fire department relies on on-call members as well as mutual aid from other communities. EMTs are needed to respond to rescue calls.
Hooper said in 2013, the department was not able to respond to 23 rescue calls, which meant other communities, instead of Goodwin’s Mills, were able to collect a total of $14,000 for emergency call fees.
The department’s pool of on-call drivers is bigger than its pool of on-call EMTs, said Hooper, and beginning next fall, one of the Fire Science students living at the station will be qualified to drive a fire truck.
Dan Gay, budget committee chairman and candidate for selectman, said he opposed the initiative because the town is facing a “huge” school budget increase, and also needs to allocate funding toward a new fire truck.
Residents in Dayton will vote whether to approve the staffing on a June 10 ballot, while residents in Lyman will vote whether to approve the staffing at Lyman’s June 14 Town Meeting.
Also discussed Monday were other items that will be on Dayton’s June 10 ballot.
Residents will vote on two questions that would allow restaurants to sell and serve alcohol on premises, which is currently not allowed in Dayton. One question would allow alcohol to be served on Sunday, the other the rest of the week.
Code Enforcement Officer Jim Roberts said there is no current interest in opening a restaurant in the town, but, he said, “We want to be proactive.” Should the initiative be approved, any establishment wanting to serve alcohol would have to be licensed by the state.
Residents will also vote on whether to allow $25,000 of town money to be used toward the upgrade of playground equipment at the playground behind the Dayton Consolidated School.
Ryan Sommer, who is running for selectman, said the town playground committee has raised $7,700 toward the new playground, and the Dayton Community Club has promised to contribute $2,500.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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