Lisbon’s Moxie orange fire truck in 2020. (Courtesy of Lisbon Fire Department)

Members of the Lisbon Fire Department are taking heat from some town councilors who say department staff are “joyriding” in the department’s emergency medical vehicle and competing with Lisbon Emergency for medical calls.

In response, the union that represents the firefighters said the claims had “no factual basis.”

The vehicle, called M8, was bought in 2022 with American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide more emergency medical coverage for the town and to fill coverage holes when Lisbon Emergency is on other calls.

Some councilors have taken issue with what they say is misuse of the department vehicle.

Councilor Roger Bickford complained at a Town Council meeting May 5 that despite his previous requests for it to stop, fire department members have used the vehicle for things other than department functions — and other people have approached him about it too, he said.

“They’re out joyriding,” he said. “They’re going to coffee shops and it’s everywhere and they’re stopping, and now they’re even stopping and kind of flaunting it because they’ll stop at the parking lot and wave at you as you go by. They know they’re not supposed to be doing it, and they’re doing it.”

He suggested putting the vehicle up for sale and using the funds for other fire department needs, he said.

Councilor Dale Crafts also expressed frustration about how often he sees the vehicle on the road outside of emergency calls.

“I see the vehicle all day long, everywhere, all the time, certainly not going to emergency calls all day long,” he said. “So, seems like it’s almost used like a pickup truck sometimes for different, other things than emergency services.”

Councilor Greg Garnett said he supports the vehicle’s use for medical calls but does not want it being used to run errands to Food City or coffee shops, he said. He has also heard complaints about the vehicle’s use from residents.

Two councilors were more supportive of the department.

Council Chair Chris Camire said he listens to the scanner and can hear when they use the truck for calls or training, and thinks some of the perception of “joyriding” comes from not knowing why the truck is out when people see it driving down the street.

Councilor Fern Larochelle said the council needs to trust that the fire chief is making sure the vehicle is being used properly.

The day after the council meeting, the International Association of Fire Fighters Lisbon Local 5451, the bargaining unit for the department’s firefighters, issued a statement on Facebook denying that firefighters are using the vehicle for things unrelated to department business.

“The accusations of ‘joy riding’ and making random trips are based on perception and have no factual backing,” the Facebook post said.

When the vehicle is not being used for a medical call, it is often used for transporting crews between stations, completing daily tasks and chores and training staff to drive the vehicle, the Facebook post reads. Sometimes the crew does stop at the store or to get coffee while driving the truck back from a call or completing other department business.

“To address the heartburn with stopping for coffee or groceries, this is being done while headed back from a call, on the road for another task or headed between stations,” the post said.

They are tasks that were being performed in previous years but using one of the department’s other trucks, the post said. The medical emergency vehicle is a more “practical” vehicle to use for a lot of department business.

The bargaining unit also pushed back against the idea that the vehicle is redundant or competing with Lisbon Emergency services. 

The medical vehicle is used to assist Lisbon Emergency or to respond to potentially life-threatening calls, guaranteeing residents get care within a timely manner, the post said. The truck and its services should be viewed as a partnership with Lisbon Emergency, not a rivalry.

During that May 5 meeting, Councilor Charlie Turgeon said the fire department’s emergency medical vehicle overlaps with Lisbon Emergency’s coverage and to “lower the temperature” they should take the truck out of use.

“I think M8 should be immediately parked,” he said.

Crafts said it is a matter of affordability. He said the town needs to decide what it wants for services and luxuries, adding his feeling that having two departments responding to emergency calls is not an expense the town can afford right now.

Larochelle and Camire said they felt it was important to have the vehicle to cover times when Lisbon Emergency is out of town on other calls or business.

Turgeon suggested that councilors hold a workshop this summer to talk about a policy decision around the use of the vehicle and transparency around when it is used.

Some comments by the public made during previous council meetings reflected frustration with councilors for unwarranted scrutiny of the fire department.

Camire said he is hoping to hold a workshop in the coming months between councilors and the fire department to discuss viewpoints and give staff the opportunity to share information.

International Association of Fire Fighters Lisbon Local 5451 did not respond for a request for an interview. Councilors Crafts, Garnett and Bickford did not respond to questions before publication. Lisbon Emergency did not respond to a phone message before publication.