I’m a board member and longtime supporter of the Orr’s and Bailey Islands Fire Department and I’m grateful for the volunteers at all three departments. However, I oppose the building of a fourth station.
Although the chiefs of the three departments support the fourth station, the majority of OBIFD board members don’t. Although I don’t disagree with the town Fire and Rescue Planning Committee’s assertion that someday Harpswell might need a fourth station, I don’t believe the time is now.
The town has two firefighters on duty 12 hours per day, seven days a week, to supplement the volunteers. They are housed, successfully, at the Orr’s and West Harpswell stations, and have been for years. Should Harpswell suddenly have a need for more full-time firefighters, they can be housed at Orr’s, either permanently or until another solution is found or we decide to build the proposed station.
The idea that the fourth station will cover the underserved northern part of Harpswell, according to the town committee, seems a stretch. With population density as it stands, I believe the three existing departments are right where they need to be.
The fourth station’s costs are troubling to me. Although the cost associated with building this six-bedroom station is approximately $6 million, I believe, in this uncertain economy, there will be overruns, and I haven’t seen cost numbers for the long-term operations of a fourth station.
I don’t believe volunteerism is dead in Harpswell. Harpswell Aging at Home is a great example. I would like to see the Fire and Rescue Planning Committee and the three departments explore what programs might recruit and retain volunteers. With an influx of new residents and our longtime residents, there might be some folks who might want to live out their childhood dream of becoming a firefighter.
Melinda Richter, Orr’s Island
