By Eileen M. Adams,Staff Writer

MEXICO – The Mexico Fire Department will continue its mutual aid agreement with Roxbury.

Selectmen on Wednesday heard an update from Mexico Fire Chief Gary Wentzell and from Roxbury selectmen on the progress the small town has made toward rebuilding its fire department, Town Manager John Madigan said Thursday.

He said Roxbury appears to have recruited more than a dozen volunteer firefighters and may well have as many as 20 within a few weeks.

The issue of whether to continue its mutual aid agreement arose when Roxbury’s fire department was apparently not responding to calls. Instead, Mexico answered most emergency calls.

“We didn’t want Mexico to be in the position of supplying all of Roxbury’s fire coverage,” said Madigan.

If that had happened, Mexico would likely have charged Roxbury each time Mexico firefighters were called out to Roxbury, Madigan said.

Selectmen will again review the progress of Roxbury’s fire department at their Nov. 9 board meeting.

In other matters, selectmen agreed to designate the recreation building, the recreation park, and Mexico Public Library as safe zones for youngsters. This means that if drugs are grown, or sold or given to people within 1,000 feet of the these areas, the offense will be increased to an aggravated offense with stiffer penalties.

The action was in response to a law recently enacted by the state Legislature. Signs will soon be posted at the three sites notifying people of the new designation, said Madigan.