Last Friday, Raymond Town Manager Don Willard sent a letter on behalf of the board of selectmen to the town of Gray, asking for a meeting between the Raymond board and the Gray Town Council to discuss shared fire and rescue services between the towns.

The decision to request a meeting was made at a Dec. 4 selectmen meeting in Raymond, at which Raymond Fire Chief Denis Morse and Rescue Chief Cathy Gosselin presented their concerns to the board about costs incurred by sending first response services to some areas of Gray.

Raymond responds to residents who live on Brown Road and Gore Road in Gray, near the town line, because Raymond’s public safety station is closer than Gray’s. Maine EMS Protocol designates Raymond fire and rescue workers as the first responders to those areas. But, as Gosselin and Morse explained to the select board last week, calls from Gore and Brown roads have increased over the last few years considerably, adding to the burdens of a tight budget and public safety staff already stretched thin.

Last year, Raymond responded to 40 calls from Gray, which Morse estimated cost the Raymond Public Safety Department $30,000.

“We want to come up with a creative solution where the town of Gray helps fund that, or pays some of the expense, so we can provide better service to their citizens,” said Morse.

Morse attributes an increase in the volume of calls to a state and nationwide trend of poor health brought on by lack of exercise, poor diet and obesity. He also believes that the culture is changing, and people are relying more on public safety to assist them with non-emergency situations.

Emergency or not, if a public safety dispatch center receives a 911 call, they are obligated to respond. Right now, there is no mutual agreement between the towns of Raymond and Gray, though the law calls for it. Morse said both towns have been lackadaisical in drafting an agreement.

“The lack of a mutual aid agreement does not stop members from responding with aid to neighboring towns,” said Morse.

Raymond Selectman Joe Bruno said he has not had a joint meeting with the town of Gray since his term on the board began about a year and a half ago, so he is going into the process with “an open mind.”

“It’s a discussion that needs to happen,” said Bruno. “I hope we can all arrive at a reasonable end.”

Deb Cabana, Gray’s town manager, is expected to present the town council with the letter on Monday. Cabana did not return phone calls at press time.

Skip Crane, a member of the Gray Town Council, said that without looking at the letter during a town meeting and talking with his fellow council members, he could offer no comment, except to say that Gray has had a “good working relationship” with Raymond and other neighboring towns in the past.

Gray Fire Chief Rick Plummer said he is open to sitting down with Morse and working out an agreement to share services. After taking the job as Gray’s fire chief in September, he said he has not dealt with officials from Raymond about the issue, but has heard through some of his staff members that Raymond wanted to be compensated for calls to Gray.

“I certainly understand their issue in that it is the town of Gray’s responsibility to protect those people on that side of (Little Sebago Lake),” said Plummer.

Plummer pointed out that any decisions on payment will have to be made by the Gray Town Council, and the Raymond Board of Selectmen, but that it is his job as chief to make a recommendation to the board.

“In the short term, it may be better for us to pay Raymond for those calls, and in the long run, maybe we can have a shared station with Raymond in that area,” said Plummer.

Because Gray experiences some of the same problems as Raymond, such as a small staff, Plummer said he empathizes. He said he is looking to build new stations in different areas around Gray, because the community is growing.

“It’s not something I feel is their problem and they’re out of luck…although they are closer, those are Gray residents,” said Plummer.