BETHEL – Money raised from sales of Bethel Fire Department’s “Beefcakes of the BFD 2003” calendar this winter and donations enabled the department to purchase a new spill response trailer.

The shiny, fire-truck-red enclosed trailer, which measures 5-feet-wide by 10-feet-long, will be used in Androscoggin River Valley towns in the Bethel area in the event of fuel and other fluid spills, said Assistant Chief Mike Jodrey.

MeadWestvaco Corp. donated $1,000 to firefighters for the trailer and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection equipped it free of charge.

Jodrey said Cheryl Bernard at the Maine DEP called the department last year telling Bethel firefighters that if they would agree to provide mutual aid spill response for the towns of Andover, Bethel, Greenwood, Gilead and Newry, and townships of Albany, Mason, Riley and Grafton, the DEP would fill the trailer for free.

“Basically, this is a Band-Aid until Mead or DEP can get there within an hour or two hours later with heavy reinforcements,” Jodrey said. “So we got $5,000 worth of equipment for $400 from calendar sales and everything else was donated.”

Firefighters will use the trailer to clean up petroleum-based spills, antifreezes, home heating oil and spills associated with ruptured fuel tanks on tractor trailer rigs and logging equipment as well as train derailments.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com