DURHAM

The way emergency services are dispatched has gotten more complicated, due to recent policy changes approved by Androscoggin County Commissioners.

Durham’s Board of Selectmen is considering changing the town’s on-scene management to Lisbon Emergency. Under existing policies, the shift was intended to save the town money and provide a more reliable communications platform for fire and rescue personnel. However, county commisioners voted on Oct. 17 to hike the fees for handling of dispatch calls the outer boroughs.

The end result is that the county fee increase likely will chew up anything the town would have saved by the change, which is estimated to be about $1,200 per year.

Emergency calls will still go to the county’s call center. However, management of fire, rescue and police services on-scene would be relayed from Lisbon.

“There’s an upfront fee of about $3,600 a year for the radio-telephone line that we will be able to get rid of,” said fire chief William St. Michel.

“If we stay with county, we’ll pay $2 per capita for 911 calls, plus pay $2.50 to Lisbon for dispatch, and pay Fairpoint Communicaitons $3,600 year for phone line. If we switch to Lisbon, we still have to pay the county sheriff $2 per capita, but will lose the telephone line expenses.”

Despite the increase, selectmen likely will go with the change, said Town Administrator Janet Smith.

“We still will save some money because we won’t have to pay for the radio loop,” Smith said. “We won’t have a decrease in the budget line, but we won’t have to increase the budget, either.”

¦ DURHAM’S BOARD OF Selectmen is considering changing the town’s on-scene management to Lisbon Emergency.

jtleonard@timesrecord.com