After responding to a string of mutual aid calls to Bowdoinham, Topsham will now get reimbursed if it has to go to Bowdoinham.
The action was spurred in response to Bowdoinham entering into a $25,000 contract with the for-profit North East Mobile Health Services in July.
“We were being a good neighbor and assisting Bowdoinham,” said Topsham fire Chief Chris McLaughlin. “Once the contract kicked in, that sort of changed how we looked at it.”
In the first month of the contract between North East and Bowdoinham, McLaughlin said Topsham still responded to 13 of 36 calls, prompting McLaughlin to have what he described as cordial discussions with representatives from North East.
North East has agreed to pay Topsham $250 for every time it responds to a Bowdoinham call. The company’s CEO assured McLaughlin that North East’s management would push to better cover Bowdoinham.