North Andover to Continue Fire Aid to Lawrence

The will continue to respond to fires in Lawrence in the same way it has for the past six months, Fire Chief Andrew Melnikas said.

North Andover has signed a mutual aid agreement with Lawrence in which North Andover will send help for Lawrence fires on the second alarm.

There was concern that helping Lawrence with fires might cost too much money. In the past couple years, North Andover has spent about $5,000 in manpower per year to send help to Lawrence, which is known for having a large amount of fires.

"If we were going constantly and it was costing, if the dollar amount keeps climbing, we'd have to re-examine out ability (to help Lawrence)," Melnikas said. He also provides a monthly evaluation of the agreement to make sure it's not eating up too much of his department's budget. If it becomes too much of a burden, the town may look into charging Lawrence for the help.

Last summer, Lawrence cut its budget and laid off about two dozen firefighters, putting a massive strain on its Fire Department and increasing its need for help from neighboring communities. This led to concern that North Andover would be dragged down financially.

And there is also the issue of liability. Under state law, if an injury or property damage happens while mutual aid is being given, the community providing the help is responsible. So if a North Andover firefighter is injured while helping Lawrence with a fire, North Andover is responsible financially. The same applies if North Andover Fire Department property -- such as a fire truck -- is damaged while helping out Lawrence.

But North Andover has continued to help out, and at last week's Board of Selectmen Meeting, Melnikas recommended going ahead with the current policy of responding to Lawrence fires on the second alarm.

"We can't just say no," Selectman Tracy Watson said. "What if there's a fire and a child gets hurt?"

North Andover does not receive any help from the state to pay for fire response in Lawrence.