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Harpswell departments press for funds as SCBA replacements and vehicle plan drive 2026 requests
Summary
At a Dec. 15 Harpswell budget advisory meeting, volunteer fire departments and town safety officials outlined near-term needs including SCBA replacements, boat maintenance and a multi-year emergency vehicle capital schedule; committee members noted lead times and said appropriations will be layered across 2026–2030.
Jonathan Burbank, president of the Cundy's Harbor Volunteer Fire Department, told the Harpswell Budget Advisory Committee on Dec. 15 that his department needs extra funding next year to cover equipment life-cycle replacements and one-off maintenance costs. “This is an actual good picture of us doing something,” Burbank said as he showed the committee a photograph of an overnight water rescue; he used the example to underscore why the department is seeking an increase in its submitted request (listed in the materials as a move “from 81 to 89”).
Burbank and other volunteer leaders said their primary near-term capital pressure is replacing self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBAs) that are reaching the end of their certified service life. The departments presented a plan that spreads replacement over several years; Burbank said a $27,000 request in the 2026 column represents roughly one-third of the near-term replacement effort for his department. “One third,” he said when asked how far the 2026 ask would go toward the full replacement.
Committee members pressed for detail on other line items. Burbank estimated ongoing boat maintenance at about $10,000 and explained that some large maintenance contracts (for items such as life packs and stretchers) are paid up front and can make a single-year cash presentation appear higher. He described the volunteer departments’ fundraising timing — appeals are mailed late in the year — and noted that year-end cash flows can change the final picture once fourth-quarter expenses and donations are recorded.
Kathy Hurst, treasurer of the Bailey Island Fire Department, said her department plans to replace four SCBAs in 2026 and cited an estimate provided by Chief Wallace of about $10,000 per unit. Hurst also explained that bookkeeping charges and contingency CPA fees were included in her department’s ‘‘accounting’’ line, which made that line appear higher than other departments’ comparable items.
The meeting also included a multi-year capital discussion for emergency vehicles. Presenters described a rolling-appropriation approach to match very long vendor lead times: ambulances were described as having current lead times quoted at about 30 months and new engines at roughly three years. The capital plan presented layer appropriations across 2026–2030 with examples discussed in the meeting materials — $250,000 in 2026 and 2027, and larger appropriations of about $300,000 in 2028 and 2029 — to account for when vehicles would need to be ordered and delivered. The committee discussed sale/resale values of retired apparatus and the possibility of bonding for the larger purchases farther out in the plan.
Town fire-administrator Mike Drake reviewed the Department of Safety request and described modest wage costs along with a required rise in protective-equipment spending after hiring two new municipal firefighters. Drake estimated outfitting a new firefighter (coat, pants, boots, helmet, hood and some SCBA-related equipment) at several thousand dollars and said the department reduced training spending to offset equipment costs. Drake also noted improvements to the town’s emergency communications system and a small remaining gap where a repeater agreement is being pursued.
Finally, committee members discussed the paramedic (advanced-life-support) contract that supplies ambulance personnel to Harpswell (the contract in discussion was identified in the record as with Mid Coast Hospital and referenced in conversation as moving to Main Health). Presenters said the program is essential and that the vendor provides an annual budget figure; the committee was told the town receives year-to-year budget pricing though the operational agreement is revisited periodically.
The committee did not adopt large policy changes at the meeting; members asked for follow-up documents (a breakdown of “other” budget categories and updated consolidated budget sheets) and prepared to bring the committee’s final recommendations to the Select Board in January.
Ending
Committee members thanked the volunteer departments for their service and agreed to supply requested backup material (detailed accounting line-item support and confirmation of capital timelines). The committee will consider the updated budget sheet at its next meeting and present a recommendation to the Select Board in early January.
