A Good Idea: The Firehouse "Idiot Clause"

A Maine Fire department wants to hold idiots financially accountable for nuisance calls. I think this is overdue and brilliant, especially in tight budgets!  

(Photo: Livermore Falls Fire Department Credit: WGME)  

Maine Fire Department wants to bill so-called 'idiots' for the nuisance calls they cause

by Brad Rogers and Ted Homer, WGME   September 26th 2024 

The Livermore Falls Fire Department wants to change its billing policy to deal with nuisance calls. (WGME) Livermore Falls Fire Department (WGME)

LIVERMORE FALLS (WGME) -- A fire department in Androscoggin County is asking town leaders for the right to bill people under certain circumstances.

"If you're drinking and driving, I think you're an idiot,” Livermore Falls Fire Chief Nathan Guptill said.

Right now, the town of Livermore Falls is considering billing people for the time their firefighters spend on nuisance calls.

Guptill calls it "an idiot clause."

"There's no reason to be behind the wheel drinking and driving or under the influence of anything. So if you do that stuff, I consider you an idiot," Guptill said. "Then, we should be able to bill their insurance company while we are sitting there tying up our resources."

If the town gives the OK, distracted drivers who cause an accident could also have to pay, as well as people with faulty alarm systems.

"And if they don't fix it, and we keep getting repeated calls there, that's what I call a nuisance call," Guptill said. “We have an alarm that goes off in town quite regularly. I'm going to say anywhere from $200 TO $500 every time we go to this call."

The fire chief says many insurance companies already pay for nuisance calls.

Should the town approve this, it will be up to an officer's judgment if someone gets billed.

 Guptill says it could bring in several thousand dollars to the department and serve as a warning, but not everyone agrees with him.

"Whether they go out on a call or don't go out on a call, they're still getting paid. It's our taxes that fund them," Livermore Falls resident Bob Bradley said.

"They respond to calls like that because it's their job,” Livermore Falls resident Donald Chase said. “And if it ends up being a nuisance call, it should be the town that pays for it, regardless."

"If they need that to support the fire department, I say yeah,” Livermore Falls resident Jonathan Dayton said. “Those fellas are doing a lot. They're sacrificing like crazy, you know?"

The fire chief says there are a number of third-party companies who would handle the billing for them for a 10 percent fee. They would get the police report, bill the insurance company and send them a check.