LIVERMORE FALLS — The Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 Tuesday night to hire Lincoln/Haney Engineering Associates Inc. of Brunswick to do a study for a minimal fix on the fire station to make it insurable.

The decision came after the fire chief told the board that storing fire equipment in different locations in Livermore Falls and Jay isn’t working.

With the closure of the Livermore Falls fire station because of structural problems, equipment is being stored at a private garage in East Livermore, at the Livermore Falls Highway Department, and at a fire station in Jay. At issue, Hardy said, is the lack of manpower and delayed response times when equipment isn’t in a central location.

“The crew has done their best, but when you’re limited, it’s tough,” he said. “That causes a lot of concern for me with our fire response.”

He said it will affect the town’s insurance rates. He suggested that town officials look to fix the current building to a point where equipment can be stored there once again.

“We can’t just throw money out the window,” Chairwoman Louise Chabot said. “We have a list of things to do to get that building insured.”

“I’m at the point, and I was in favor of us staying there (in East Livermore) to begin with, it’s not working. It’s affecting our response,” Hardy reiterated.

He admitted there were no ideal options, but that his primary responsibility was to ensure the residents of Livermore Falls the best quality of fire service possible.

Jay and Livermore Falls officials have been looking for ways to regionalize the two fire departments. Hardy said he wasn’t against sharing fire services with Jay, but that the more immediate issue was the trouble the Livermore Falls fire volunteers were having responding to calls in a timely fashion.

“I think we’re going to have to do something quick. We’re not going to have a fire department if this keeps up,” Hardy said.

“It’s a lot of money no matter what you’re talking about,” Town Manager Kristal Flagg said.

Chabot reminded the gathering that if Livermore Falls votes to fix its building, talks with Jay about regionalizing the fire service would cease.

Selectman Ron Chadwick pointed out that if the town just opted to fix the fire station’s roof, the cost would be a lot less than renovating the whole building and the structure would be functional.

Resident Tim Fournier suggested the town sell the fire station temporarily to the Livermore Falls Firemen’s Auxiliary and have them run it for a minimal amount as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. He said the arrangement could last until the summer when the station could be fixed.

“Where it’s ours now, to change ownership just to cover ourselves for insurance purposes, I’m not sure we could do that,” Flagg responded.

She suggested selectmen pick an engineering firm and tell them exactly what the town wanted.

The Maine Municipal Association “will go with an engineer’s seal,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who it is.”

“Whatever it needs to get this building back into shape for our fire protection should be done,” Selectman James Collins said.

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“I think we’re going to have to do something quick. We’re not going to have a fire department if this keeps up.” — Livermore Falls Fire Chief Tim “TD” Hardy