It was a revelation to selectmen Monday that since 2007 Whitefield has had 43 fire department standard operating procedures and other policies, covering such matters as rules and regulations, personal protection equipment inspection, and workplace harassment, spelled out in a compliance manual.
Two of the three select board members, Frank Ober and Sue McKeen, were “impressed and “flabbergasted” to learn the manual existed. Board chair Steve McCormick said, “I’m kind of embarrassed I didn’t remember it.”
Ober and McKeen were elected after the policies were drawn up.
No copy of the book has been found in the town office. Administrative assistant Gwyn Dixon said neither she nor deputy administrative assistant Robin White remembers seeing it.
The board has been requesting copies of policies since the organization of the town’s fire associations into a municipal department took effect last July.
Fire chief Tim Pellerin said he thought the board had the policies and he has given them several updates over the past six months. Three of seven have been adopted: rules and regulations and job descriptions since July, and a workplace harassment policy March 7.
The latter, however, is taken from the Maine Municipal Association; the board did not adopt that of the pre-municipally organized fire department.
The policies presented resulted from Bureau of Labor investigations several years ago that Whitefield’s fire service, delivered by three separate associations at the time, was not operating by safe standards. Even though there was no municipal organization giving town control of expenditures and the authority to coordinate fire fighting to best meet the entire town’s needs, the fire service was called the Whitefield Fire Dept.
At the board’s regular weekly meeting March 14, Pellerin, assistant chief Scott Higgins and EMS director Lynn Talacko presented copies of the three-inch thick ring-binder titled “Whitefield Fire Department Compliance Manual for Fire Department Safety.”
Higgins explained that the associations responded in the mid-2000s to Bureau of Labor citations that firefighters protecting Whitefield were not operating by safe standards. He said OSHA guidelines and bureau standards “were instrumental in putting this together.”
He added, “This has been our Bible.”
Pellerin, who became chief of the North Whitefield station shortly after moving to town some six years ago, told the board, “Since I’ve been here, we’ve been working up policies.” Indicating the manual, he said, “I thought you guys had this book so I thought what you needed were the policies that have been updated since the municipal department was organized.”
Pellerin said he didn’t “want it implied or out in the public that we weren’t doing anything before.”
In early February McCormick asked Pellerin to present copies of all department policies (LCN, issue of Feb. 10.). The fire chief replied to that request by saying the town had them, but selectmen were unsuccessful in their subsequent search of office filing cabinets and bookshelves.
Pellerin said Monday, “The town of Whitefield adopted this [manual] at some point and all three associations agreed to follow it. I’ve been amazed at the implications we’ve had no policies. One of the books was provided you.”
Higgins pointed out that the compliance manual and its cover refer to the “Whitefield Fire Department.” McKeen said, “The ballgame has changed a little since the department became municipal.” There is no definition for the Whitefield Fire Dept. in the manual. Before last July the fire service existed as a unified department only at emergency scenes because the associations were independent and autonomous bodies.
In conversation with the fire department officers, selectmen agreed a statement reflecting the change needs to be added to the manual. McKeen said the board has to review and adopt or re-adopt the policies since the vote establishing the municipal entity.
After the discussion, an apologetic McCormick commented on the controversy, “Maybe we all overlooked something. We asked and we acted upon what we were given. We weren’t saying anybody was doing anything underhanded. We’re all a team.”
Road commissioner David Boynton reported he has been inspecting gravel roads in town where mud and ruts are “terrible” and is going to try to repair them. With rain forecast for Wednesday and Friday, however, he said, “The work will probably be undone.”
Bill Ackerson, who is coaching the school’s softball team this year, discussed with the board ways to best utilize the two ballfields for use by the greatest number of players, both boys and girls. The board will meet with the Whitefield Athletic Association (WAA) and RSU 12 to discuss the matter.
On a request by the WAA’s Terry Blair, the board voted to let the sports organization provide coffee and muffins during polling Saturday (8-noon) in the school gym and hot dogs and hamburgers during the town meeting, which starts at 2 p.m.
In the past, commotion created by people talking while visiting the concession has interfered with discussion and voting. McKeen said, “Part of town meeting is to have a nice community gathering where you can get a cup of coffee and a hot dog.”
