BYRON — Residents will decide Dec. 8 whether to keep their Fire Department or pay another town for fire protection services.

The vote will be taken at a special town meeting at 6 p.m. at the Coos Canyon Schoolhouse.

Selectman Anne Simmons-Edmunds said the board decided to hold the meeting, after an informational session Monday attended by about a dozen townspeople. They heard presentations by Mexico Fire Chief Gary Wentzell and Richard Jones, a longtime member and officer of the department and favored contracting services for the town of about 120 people.

“This isn’t something we’re taking lightly; it’s a big decision,” Simmons-Edmunds said Wednesday. “We hope to get a good turnout so everyone understands.”

The number of volunteer firefighters has dwindled in recent years, at the same time as the responsibilities of the fire chief for making sure department members are properly trained have grown.

Fire Chief Bob Susbury has submitted his resignation effective Dec. 1, Simmons-Edmunds said.

On Dec. 8, townspeople will be asked to approve an article asking whether the town should enter into negotiations with Mexico and/or Roxbury for future fire coverage.

If that is approved, Simmons-Edmunds said the Boards of Selectmen of the three towns would work out the details.

The Mexico Fire Department would be first responders and would hold the contract with Byron. The Roxbury Fire Department would serve as backup, Simmons-Edmunds said.

She blamed the state Bureau of Labor Standards for much of the need to find some way to provide fire coverage for the town. She said the time needed to meet all Bureau of Labor Standards has grown considerably.

“If we don’t meet the standards, we get fined,” she said.

Byron got money from the Homeland Security Department in 2005 for a new firetruck. If the town decides to dissolve the department, that engine likely would be given to Mexico in return for services.

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