Newspaper denied access to ambulance records

LEBANON - A Freedom of Information Act request by The Lebanon Voice regarding Sanford Regional Communications records has been denied by the town's Board of Selectmen.

The Lebanon Voice requested the information after confirming with Sanford Regional Communications director Bill Tower that records pertaining to how often Sanford had been the sole responder to Lebanon rescue incidents could be retrieved.

Tower said it could be done fairly easily, but since Lebanon pays for the services, he said he would feel more comfortable if the request to cull those records came from selectmen.

Selectmen said in their denial explanation that since town offices could not readily access the information, themselves, they were not compelled to produce or release it.

"I see this as frustrating the intent of what the Freedom of Information Act is all about," said The Lebanon Voice editor Harrison Thorp. "It's denied on a technicality; the information is readily available. Why not let the public who pay the freight on Sanford Regional Communications with their taxes see it?"

The newspaper's request for response records comes in the wake of a $2,000 sole responder surcharge levied by four surrounding rescue departments whenever they respond to a Lebanon rescue incident in which Lebanon Rescue cannot field a response. The new surcharge levy began on Dec. 1.

The four ambulance services are Sanford Fire, Milton Fire and Rescue, North Berwick Rescue and Frisbie EMS, which recently indicated it had responded to about 46 medical calls in Lebanon so far this year, and that Lebanon Rescue had been unable to respond to about half of those calls.

Milton Fire and Rescue Chief Nick Marique has indicated not every call would draw the fee, such as an acute care call on the Milton-Lebanon line where patient care and safety would dictate a Milton response.

Many areas of Lebanon are only a couple of minutes from where the Milton ambulance is kept.

Sanford, which appears to have been the driving force in creation of the surcharge, hasn't announced similar protocols for when the fee might be waived. Sanford's plan is to also levy the surcharge on Acton and Shapleigh.

Milton's plan would also levy the surcharge in Acton.

Selectmen Chairman Ben Thompson said last week it is a fluid situation and selectmen continue to seek out all their options moving forward that might mitigate surcharge levies.

Meanwhile, Milton Town Administrator Liz Dionne said recently no formal billing timeline or procedure for collection has been set up.

"We don't even know if Lebanon is going to pay it," she said.

In another development, North East Mobile Health Services of Scarborough, Maine, visited with Lebanon selectmen on Monday to discuss possibly covering Lebanon calls if Lebanon Rescue couldn't field a crew.

Selectman Paul Philbrick said officials from the company pitched a plan to cover Lebanon that would likely be cheaper than Sanford.

"They thought $2,000 was a bit much," Philbrick said on Tuesday.

North East currently does some patient transport work in Sanford, but not emergency response.

Other options on the table to beef up response include staffing the Lebanon Rescue station with EMTs on a part- or full-time basis.

Ironically, Lebanon's response proficiency has increased markedly in recent months to the point where it mirrors past administrations.