Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue Chief David Mercier said Harpswell’s volunteer fire departments rely on three main revenue sources: the town, ambulance fees and private donations.
The town contributes to each department’s budget. For 2024, Harpswell Neck requested $67,500, the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department requested $79,500, and the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department requested $75,000.
The town also has helped fund new fire trucks and ambulances for all three departments. This year, it set aside $150,000 for future vehicle purchases.
Harpswell Fire Administrator and Emergency Management Agent Michael Drake said the town also is upgrading emergency communications infrastructure. Existing analog radios are incompatible with newer digital radios and broadcasting equipment.
The first step was a new radio tower behind the Orr’s and Bailey station, he said, which will be followed by devices in other locations that will extend the tower’s signal to reach handheld and vehicle radios.
Ambulance fees generate annual revenue of about $50,000 for the Harpswell Neck department, Mercier said, depending on the number of calls it responds to. He noted that most fees are billed to insurance, and some others end up as write-offs because the patients can’t afford to pay.
All three departments solicit private donations, such as by sending letters to area residents. Mercier said letters help Harpswell Neck raise $50,000 to $60,000 annually. Ted Merriman, the Orr’s and Bailey department’s president, couldn’t recall how much was raised from letters last year, but said, “Without private donations, we would fail.”
Mercier said his department’s biggest expenses this year are for insurance and maintenance of its six emergency vehicles, the total of which came to about $40,000.
It also had to pay $43,000 to test about 10,000 feet of firehose to comply with state regulations. That’s not a regularly recurring expense, he said, but there is always something like that to deal with.
For example, Harpswell Neck likely will need to kick in $15,000 to $20,000 of its own cash to help pay for the new radios, Mercier said.
Sam Lemonick contributed to this story.
