Recently area fire departments and local government officials held a public meeting to discuss the pros and cons of developing a fire district.

Present at the meeting were representatives of the Bloomingdale, Paul Smiths Gabriels, and the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Departments. Government officials at the meeting included board members of the Village of Saranac Lake and the Towns of Harrietstown, North Elba, St. Armand, Franklin, and Brighton.

The meeting included a presentation by attorney Mark Butler of Buffalo as a subject matter expert. Mr. Butler specializes in emergency service issues, is a state fire instructor, and has much expertise in this area.

The presentation was very thorough and highlighted the pros and cons of fire district creation as they relate to the fire departments, the government entities, the tax payers, and efficiency related to providing fire protection to the public within the boundaries of the district.

The local media has done an excellent job of capturing the details of this meeting and we invite you to review the below links for more detailed information.