A small Aroostook County town has reinforced its volunteer fire department to the point it will no longer pay a nearby municipality for fire coverage.
Masardis, with a population of about 200, is one of several small towns that pays Ashland for a package of fire, ambulance, library and recreation services.
Amid rising costs, Masardis and Portage Lake residents protested the package deal, and Ashland’s town council voted to let towns choose the services they wanted. Portage Lake has its own fire department. Now, with a new chief and an influx of volunteers, Masardis will man its own station and won’t have to pay Ashland for fire protection.
“[I] moved up here to retire, and joined the volunteer fire department because I wanted to make sure I had access to a fire truck if my house was on fire,” said Larry Duckett, chief of the Masardis Volunteer Fire Department.
Duckett came to Aroostook County from Georgia, where he served at a large fire department. His position is voluntary and involves no salary. The department operates on a budget of approximately $15,000, town officials said.
Aroostook County has 33 fire departments, and 29 of those are volunteer.
Masardis’ fire department has existed for many years, but was headed by the Ashland Fire Department and its equipment wasn’t up to date, Duckett said. In fact, its two vehicles were nearly 40 years old.
Last month the department acquired extrication equipment and two used vehicles: a pumper truck and a 100-foot ladder truck, which Duckett said will reach the top of the highest lumber mill facilities in the coverage area.
He declined to share financial details, only that he acquired the used trucks.
Newly signed volunteers bring the department’s roster to 15. The growth will enable Masardis to meet the emergency needs of all residents, he said.
“The people in Masardis and Oxbow deserve the same protection as the people in larger cities have, and it’s up to us to provide it,” Duckett said.
While Masardis once shared volunteer firefighters with Ashland, the chief and new members will allow the department to function on its own, Selectman Gerard Charette said.
The Masardis Board of Selectmen appointed the chief in January, and Duckett will conduct basic firefighter training for the new volunteers, he said. Training will start this summer.
Selectmen voted not to pay the fire subsidy to Ashland, but to continue with ambulance, recreation and library services, Charette said.
For this year, Ashland originally assessed Masardis $33,907 for ambulance services, $8,937 for fire protection, $10,533 for library and $9,355 for recreation.
Selectmen also voted to reduce the library payment to $5,000 because not all residents use the Ashland facility, Charette said.
