WEST PARIS – In an unannounced inspection of town facilities by the Maine Department of Labor last week, most of the town’s facilities showed only a few problems, with exception of the Fire Department.
Selectmen’s Chairman Jim Johnston, who attended a meeting with the inspector and members of the Fire Department, said, “We need to do a lot to address needs of the Fire Department. In the past one and a half years, we have had a turnover of several chiefs, and record-keeping and training is described as inadequate. We are getting help from South Paris through a good neighbor policy, but we still need to do more to meet today’s regulations for emergency services.”
Town Manager Donald Woodbury said inspections happen periodically on a random basis and concentrate on safety issues in the local workplace.
“The state comes in periodically and looks at safety issues that might be problems for our workers,” he said. “And most of our facilities only needed a few minor changes to meet state regulations. But the Fire Department needs a lot of work in order for us to avoid some significant fines if we do not bring it in line with state and national regulations.”
Johnston said, “We need to make sure our firemen have updates on training in respiratory protection, blood-borne pathogens, vehicle maintenance and refresher courses in other areas that will better guarantee their safety. Also, the department has to better document the training and other work being done. The bottom line is that training is a huge problem as the town is responsible for all its employees.”
The town manager said, “We will receive a complete report in about two weeks that will sum up the inspector’s findings. Then, we will have six months to come up with a plan to address and correct the problems the state feels we need to take care of. If we do not improve our situation, we can face significant fines as high as $10,000. However, if we show we are working toward definite ways to bring our department in line with all state and federal regulations, the fines can be waived.”
As a first step forward, a meeting was planned between officials from West Paris and neighboring Greenwood to discuss the possibility of merging fire departments.
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