RANGELEY — Residents on Tuesday will be asked if they want to spend $39,986 for the town’s first full-time firefighter position on the Rangeley Fire and Rescue Department.

The polls are scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office.

The article addressing the new position is one of dozens voters will consider.

The full-time firefighter would operate out of both stations, Chief Michael Bacon said, who also full time. The town has a main station on School Street and one in Oqoussoc Village.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the busiest days, he said.

The person would be responsible for getting a fire truck or other vehicles on the road within two minutes in an emergency.

It is expected to make the initial response to an emergency quicker. The person would also be responsible for truck inspections, maintaining trucks, station upkeep and other tasks that would be assigned. The full-time person would not take away from the town’s on-call volunteer fireifghters.

The person “would help me fulfill my goals that I have for the community,” Bacon said.

The full-time position would be benefit to the community, he said.

“Our call volume is going up,”  Bacon said.

There were 370 calls last year, he said, and this year is trending higher. Bacon said he expects calls for 2020 will end up at about 500.

“Tourism drives our calls,” Bacon said.

The department covers more than 600 square miles in northern Franklin and Oxford counties, which includes lakes, mountains, and hiking, ATV and snowmobile trails.

 

 

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