During the weekend storm that struck New England, consisting of what was once Hurricane Lee, the Monson Fire Department was responding to a number of calls in the town as well as the surrounding area these firefighters cover. A power outage ended up knocking out communications via the radio tower and there was a lack of power source to charge the backup batteries, leaving department members unable to talk with one another.
To prevent such conditions from happening again, the Piscataquis County Commissioners approved the purchase of a portable solar-powered battery system during a meeting on Tuesday morning. Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency Director Jaeme Duggan will find a finalized equipment package but she said this would be in the $5,000-6,000 range with monies coming from ARPA funds.