PARIS — Paris selectmen on Monday heard a presentation from PACE as they explore the idea of Fire Department billing, decided to draft a fireworks ordinance and discussed goals for the coming year.

PACE Director Bob Hand passed out an information sheet about the ambulance service, which is a department of Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway. He said about one-third of calls, or 656 of 2,522 for 2016 as of Monday, are to Paris.

PACE’s primary service area includes Paris, Norway, Hebron, Otisfield, Woodstock and Greenwood, with shared coverage in Harrison and Milton Township and Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry during the winter.

Selectman Janet Jamison asked Hand to explain how the call system works. There are five call levels; alpha, bravo, charlie, delta and echo, with charlie, delta and echo being the most severe.

“The top three are serious calls and typically Paris Fire (Department) would go with us,” Hand said, adding the Fire Department normally only responds to those three levels of calls. “Paris is actually licensed with Maine EMS as a first responder service, which says they will go.”

“We’re trying to figure out how to spend less on our Fire Department, which seems to be more of a first responder agency and less of a Fire Department,” Jamison said to Hand, asking him if he had any ideas.

He asked what level of service is acceptable to residents and commented on two agencies responding to the same call.

“The other first responder agencies I work with – and Paris – the idea behind that is not only get out there and help us but get out in the community, get that neighbor helping neighbor scenario,” Hand said. “There’s not a lot of house fires out there, which is good.”

Selectman Scott Buffington noted PACE bills for services provided and asked Hand if he viewed it as a duplication of services if PACE and Paris Fire respond to the same call.

“It is somewhat an expansion of a service because you had additional help on the scene,” Hand said.

Buffington also asked about response times to calls in Paris. Hand said he would get specific numbers for selectmen.

“Typically we staff for the occasion so if it’s really busy, I go out of my way to make sure I hire folks from this area,” Hand said.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Mike Risica asked Hand if insurance companies give PACE trouble with its billing.

“Oh yes,” Hand said.

“We have to make sure the billing is acceptable before we send it in. It’s tricky business,” Hand said, adding PACE doesn’t charge a subsidy. “Billing is difficult. And your return rate is not great with ambulance service in general.”

After fielding questions, Hand asked selectmen if they were considering starting their own ambulance service.

Buffington said “it’s very preliminary” and the board is trying to find ways to offset Fire Department costs. He also wondered if it was necessary because there is already an award-winning ambulance service that serves Paris.

In other news, selectmen discussed writing a fireworks ordinance after a large fireworks display on Oxford Street during the Fourth of July was enjoyed by some and upset other people.

Risica brought a copy of Lisbon’s fireworks ordinance and said some of the restrictions in the document were “a little bit heavy handed.”

“All I am looking for is an end time for these things. … I think 10 (p.m.) would be a great time,” he said, noting there are children, animals and veterans in town who are bothered by the explosives.

“I think 10 is kinda early,” Buffington said.

Selectman Chris Summers said Norway was an interesting case study because it banned consumer fireworks last year.

“But if you go out to Norway Lake on the Fourth of July you’re going to see fireworks,” he said. “The question becomes what is the likelihood we can enforce it?”

Buffington said if the town went with an ordinance, it needs to spell out who would enforce it. He also wanted to add distance requirements into the document, noting there was a fireworks malfunction on High Street this year where a firework went into the wall of a mobile home.

Risica agreed with distance rules.

“What I am concerned with is the pine trees can go up so fast,” he said.

Risica offered to write an ordinance and bring it to the board.

As for goals, Buffington said his top priority was to continue to reduce the tax burden in Paris to make the town more competitive. He noted the Police Department took the brunt of the board’s pledge to cut $500,000 from municipal spending, and he thinks all departments should be looked at. He said he wants to cut another 15 percent.

Selectmen agreed to bring ideas on how to save money, increase economic development and foster a sense of community in town to their next meeting Aug. 22.

[email protected]