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Liability, Mutual Aid Issues Worry Massachusetts Town Leaders
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - With North Andover providing more help to the short-handed fire department in neighboring Lawrence, concerns are growing among selectmen about the town's potential liability.
Cash-strapped Lawrence has cut nearly $2 million from its fire budget and laid off 23 firefighters. Neighboring communities like North Andover are being asked to provide more mutual aid than usual to Lawrence.
Selectman Tracy Watson tells the Eagle-Tribune that her town would never say 'no' to its neighbor, but she wonders about increased liability to North Andover should a firefighter be injured or a fire truck damaged while battling a blaze in Lawrence.
Under state law, if a firefighter is hurt while on a mutual aid call, the community that firefighter works for is responsible for the costs associated with the injury.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cash-strapped Lawrence has cut nearly $2 million from its fire budget and laid off 23 firefighters. Neighboring communities like North Andover are being asked to provide more mutual aid than usual to Lawrence.
Selectman Tracy Watson tells the Eagle-Tribune that her town would never say 'no' to its neighbor, but she wonders about increased liability to North Andover should a firefighter be injured or a fire truck damaged while battling a blaze in Lawrence.
Under state law, if a firefighter is hurt while on a mutual aid call, the community that firefighter works for is responsible for the costs associated with the injury.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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This is not what mutual aid was designed for.... giving aid and/or recieving aid when a big incident occurs (shared) but covering the routine fire call because one community is cash strapped is not mutual aid.
It is called getting or expecting free services from another community that is in a better, more fiscally responsible position (today). Unfortunately, the first time someone is hurt, killed or damages a truck, these communities are going to look at the entire mutual aid system as more of a liability then an asset.
Government officials need to told flat out, what they are going to get for services when they tell fire chief's to axe the force. And the public, as harsh as it is... needs to realize that those services will be decreased.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Mutual aid should also be reciprocal, which when reading the article, does not appear to be the case.
I would take a look at the wording to an agreement. My department will not send apparatus on a mutual aid call, if it jeopardizes our ability to provide services to our own district. We are glad to help out anytime we can, but we won't risk the lives of our citizens to do it.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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My department will not send apparatus on a mutual aid call, if it jeopardizes our ability to provide services to our own district. We are glad to help out anytime we can, but we won't risk the lives of our citizens to do it.
And that can really be a huge part of the overall picture here. As it is this community and elected officials have seeminly come to the conclusion that they can just use outside agencies for their protection under the guise of Mutual Aid.
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