LEBANON, Maine — Lebanon's Board of Selectmen is scheduled to meet Thursday night to further discuss an investigation into the town's Fire and EMS Department.
"The red flag was we had a lot of resignations, several resignations, several complaints from staff formal and informal," Chairman Chuck Russell said.
The investigation was first announced last week after someone submitted a complaint to the town's insurance company, according to Russell.
The formal complaint added to a growing list of complaints the town received from firefighters.
Both Chief Steven Merrill and Deputy Chief J.T. Harmon were placed on paid administrative leave as an outside firm looks into how the department is run.
Russell said that will include an examination of personnel matters and concerns about firefighter safety and deteriorating equipment.
"We're gonna get it fixed," Russell said. "Regardless of how it turns out, what the investigation uncovers, the fire department should be operating the way it should."
Like many rural towns, the department has struggled to hire and retain staff over the last few years.
Chief Merrill spoke to NEWS CENTER Maine in January 2019 about fun messages they were putting on a sign outside the department to try and boost morale.
"There is an issue with staffing due to a lot of things in a lot of areas, but like anything, you can't use the failure of other departments in your area to not have a good department," Russell said.
Current members were not able to speak publicly, but Interim Chief Capt. Frank Maguire released a statement:
"The message to the town as a whole is this; Lebanon Fire is still here, we are still responding, and we are still ready to answer the call. We have a resilient group of individuals, and in spite of the circumstances we still consider it a privilege to do this job for the citizens of Lebanon. I have complete faith in the department, and assure you there will be no adverse effect on the services received by the town. As the ranking officer of the department at the moment, I will continue to keep the ship steered in the right direction, and look forward to working towards a successful resolution to this event."
The investigation is expected to take 6-8 weeks and cost taxpayers at least $15,000.