The Yarmouth County Mutual Aid Association is encouraging members to attend a meeting later this month regarding fire dispatch fees.
The Town of Yarmouth sent a letter to chiefs of the volunteer fire departments that use Yarmouth dispatch, with options that it said were aimed at maintaining the service.
In the letter, the town requires written notification from the fire departments of their intention to remain with Yarmouth dispatch or
receive service elsewhere by September 24.
Jason Saulnier, acting president of the Mutual Aid Association, says for some departments, the town’s proposed fees are unrealistic.
He says some departments would pay a third of their total annual budget for dispatch service.
“We want to get everybody together and talk and come with a plan to move forward. We would like to come to a realistic deal between the town and all of the fire departments in the Tri-Counties. The question is, what will it take to come to that deal ? The proposal is quite high and quite high for for some departments and quite unrealistic.”
Some departments would pay one-third of their total budget on fire dispatch.
Sauliner says isn’t sure how the town’s deadline will play into this, saying every department will have their own take on it.
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29, 7 p.m. in the Salle Pere Maurice-LeBlanc Theatre at Par-en-Bas school in Tusket.
