LYMAN — After the fire of 1947 that wiped out a large section of rural York County, local firefighters in Lyman and Dayton saw the need to modernize fire services, so in 1949, they incorporated to form Goodwin’s Mills Fire-Rescue.

Last year, history was made again, when the fire-rescue became a joint municipal department of the towns of Lyman and Dayton.

Goodwin’s Mills Fire Chief Roger “Rod” Hooper said the nonprofit corporation served the needs of the two towns well over the last several decades, but as time progressed and the world changed, the fire-rescue structure needed to change as well.

“I think it’s been a modernization process that needed to happen,” said Hooper. “It’s the right way to go.”

The development of the interlocal agreement and the personnel plan was overseen by the fire commission, which has members appointed from the two towns. The commission recommended the hiring of a full-time chief, which was previously a stipend position. Hooper, who had many years experience as a call firefighter for the fire corporation, was hired in January of last year.

The commission reviews the fire chief’s budget and is responsible for management of the department and its personnel, leaving operations to the chief. Treasurer Angela Cushman also works closely with the commission. The cost of the fire department is shared between the two towns, and Hooper and the other three full-time employees are employees of the Town of Lyman.

Hooper said now the fire department can get its health insurance for its full-time staff at a cheaper rate, and full-time employees have access to a retirement program. Also, he said, the fire department can access Maine Municipal Association services through the town, instead of paying an additional fee, and has seen a savings in liability insurance.

Hooper said with municipal oversight, there is more accountability and with a full-time chief, policies and procedures are more uniformly applied.

“We’ve got a structure that’s working for us,” he said, adding that he believes it will work well into the future.

Hooper said as a municipal department, the tax-exempt status is more defined, which will be advantageous when seeking grants.

“I think overall it’s a good change,” said Don Hernon, fire commission secretary, representing Lyman.

Hernon said after the budget process is completed this spring, the commission is set to develop a plan for capital expenditures. As well, a second amendment to the interlocal agreement was recently signed by both boards, clarifying wording and streamlining the payment process.

“We’re still getting comfortable and trying to work it all out,” said Hernon. “I think we need to work through a couple of years under the current setup, though I’m sure improvements can be made.”

Hooper said while there is no change in the service the emergency personnel provide, there have been some “cultural changes” that people have had to get used to. Instead of making decisions internally and contracting out to the two towns, the towns of Lyman and Dayton are overseeing the department.

He said the change over to a joint municipal department was at first “a little bumpy.” He mentioned the amendment to streamline the payment process.

There has been some resistance to a new policy introduced by selectmen requiring all firefighters, including on call firefighters, to have annual physicals and meet certain standards, he said.

“It’s working out pretty good. With any change, there are growing pains,” said Jim Roberts, chairman of the fire commission and Dayton’s code enforcement officer.

Roberts said with many different people involved, it’s sometimes been a challenge to keep balance and make everyone happy, but he thinks now everyone is looking at the same goal.

Roberts said a full-time fire chief has the time to address and troubleshoot problems.

As a full-time chief, Hooper said he has been able to research efficiencies and opportunities to save money.

Hooper said in 2011, the fire-rescue responded to 557 calls, while in 2012, it responded to 714 calls. Despite the increase in calls, the number of calls the department was unable to respond to decreased, with 22 missed calls in 2011 and 12 missed calls in 2012.

“I think we’re ahead of the times,” said Victoria Gavel, chairwoman of Lyman’s board of selectmen. “We’ve been working with Dayton and doing a good job of it.”

The beginning of the process, formulating the interlocal agreement, was a bit rocky, said Gavel, as “people didn’t know their responsibilities” and “it felt like a power struggle.

“Communication and temperament between everyone seems a lot better compared to what it was a year ago,” said Gavel.

The selectmen had to make it clear that “we don’t want control of it, so to speak,” she said, “but we all need to communicate so we know what’s going on. When we don’t, that’s when the distrust comes in.”

Lyman Selectman Leo Ruel had praise for the commission and fire chief, and said he is “satisfied with the way things are going.” The process has not been rushed, he said, but has allowed ample time for research before decisions are made.

“The transition is still in progress, but the fire commission is doing a very, very good job,” said Ruel. “I think the board of selectmen and the fire commission have a pretty good relationship ”¦ there’s more understanding, and I think it’s going to work out well in the end.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535 Ext. 325 or [email protected]. Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535 Ext. 322 or[email protected].