PARIS — The Maine Forest Service is lending a truck to the Paris Fire Department with few, if any, strings attached.

The truck has been sitting in West Paris for years getting little use, according to Chief Brad Frost. The Paris Fire Department will house the truck for the summer and use it to fight fires in Paris and surrounding towns.

The truck will be the first to respond to grass and brush fires in Paris and on mutual aid responses in nearby communities.

Frost said it’s part of a state program to get the trucks out where they can be manned and used. The state will pay for any necessary maintenance and has given the department a gas card for the truck.

“It’s a win-win situation, as far as I can see,” Frost told selectmen Monday. Town Manager Phil Tarr said he called Frost to the meeting to talk about the truck because some selectmen had concerns.

He said the truck carries 250 gallons of water. He said there may be instances where state officials may call on the truck to fight a large fire elsewhere in the state. At that time, someone from the state may come and take it or a Paris firefighter could drive it to the scene and get a ride back.

At last week’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Selectman Lloyd “Skip” Herrick was concerned that having a Paris firefighter take the truck to a fire scene outside of the department’s coverage area could divert a firefighter who may be needed to fight a local fire. Frost said the decision of whether to send a Paris firefighter to a scene was up to his own discretion.

According to the contract, Paris has a right to charge the driver’s time to the town receiving aid.

The truck, called Forestry 2, came under the Paris Fire Department’s possession on April 7. According to the contract with the Department of Conservation, the truck is on temporary loan to the fire department. The state can take the truck back at any time.

[email protected]