By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

There’s one big thing standing in the way of an intercity fire department, according to Rick Cailler.

It’s spelled “EMS,” and Auburn has it. Lewiston doesn’t.

The Auburn Fire Department has a dedicated rescue vehicle and a team that responds to medical emergencies. Lewiston officials considered creating an EMS service in 2002, but backed away under pressure from United Ambulance and local hospitals.

“But they’re going to have to get over that if they want to combine us,” said Cailler, president of the International Association of Firefighters local in Lewiston.

“It’s key to making the two departments work together. It’s the single biggest hot potato, and they’re not even talking about it,” Cailler said.

For Cailler, it’s the biggest question left unanswered in a report on combining city services released last weekend.

The report has been a hot topic among union members in several departments on both sides of the river. It calls for gradually mixing city departments over the next three years, starting first with code enforcement functions and computer systems. Eventually, police, fire and public works departments would be joined, according to the recommendations of a special commission appointed by the city councils.

“They say they can do it without laying off any employees,” Cailler said. “But really, if this is an effort aimed at saving money, jobs have to be part of the discussion.”

Union members are interested, but not worried, union leaders said. Any changes will be a long time coming.

“The two departments are just so different,” said Auburn firefighter Mike Scott, vice president of that city’s labor union. “The report is actually pretty decent, but the differences are fundamental.”

Scott agreed that emergency medical response will be a big hurdle.

“We’ve invested a lot of money and time in that program, and it’s integral to our services,” Scott said. “We really expect it to continue on, and grow.”

For Twin Cities police departments, rules and procedures are the biggest differences.

Auburn is just beginning the review process with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, a national group that works with local police agencies to increase professionalism and accountability. The process takes about two years.

Lewiston’s department passed muster with the group in 2003.

“That’s something we’re very proud of, and it takes a number of years to get there,” said Roger Landry, head of the Lewiston unit of the Maine Association of Police.

The program is designed to make the officers better at their jobs and to make the department more efficient. It calls for specific rules and procedures for everything, from filing reports to collecting evidence.

“It’s tied into every aspect of everything we do,” Landry said.

Bud Caouette, president of the Auburn police union, said pay would also be an issue. Lewiston pays its lieutenants about $7 more per hour.

“But we have an open mind about it,” he said. “We’re not against it, but we all have questions like these that need to be answered.”