Staff Writer

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BELMONT — The first record of mutual aid among fire departments in the Lakes Region goes back over half a century. The system proved highly effective Tuesday night as close to 30 communities helped battle a six-alarm blaze at a plaza on Route 3/11.

Doug Aiken, coordinator of the Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association, said everything ran very smoothly at the fire scene. The association had not completed a formal audit yet but, as a rough estimate, Aiken said there were close to 30 communities at the fire scene and at least 55 pieces of firefighting and rescue apparatus. In addition, he said, fire departments from more than seven towns from the northern region of the mutual aid association’s territory were involved in a task force at the fire scene Wednesday in order to give other firefighters a break.

When fire departments are called in for mutual aid, he said, firefighters report to a staging area where they receive their assignments. The departments that responded to Tuesday night’s fifth-alarm call were sent to the fire station to keep the apparatus warm, for instance.

"It went very well," he said.

The first mutual aid system established in the Lakes Region was in 1952 between a few communities. It since has grown to include about 35 communities, explained Dick Wright, who is with Capital Area Mutual Aid Compact.

He said the Capital Area Mutual Aid System, based in Concord, comprises 19 communities.

Wright said Capital Area companies typically respond to fires in the southern portion of the Lakes Region if they reach a third alarm.

"We sent 10 pieces of apparatus. Some went directly to the scene to work while some went to Belmont [to the fire station]," he said. "We sent nine engines which all carry hose and personnel and one ladder truck out of Loudon."

All the responses are predetermined according to location, said Wright. If there were to be a large fire in the northern communities, such as Plymouth, Capital Area Mutual Aid would likely send only one or two pieces of equipment, explained Wright.

Aiken said that. as departments were called to the scene, other communities farther away from Belmont kept shifting to ensure that every fire department had firefighters and apparatus covering their fire stations. As Plymouth was called to the scene, Campton moved in to cover that station, while Waterville Valley slid in to cover the Campton station.

While the fire was in progress, Aiken said, there was a small hazardous material incident in Franklin where a frozen sprinkler had dumped some water that officials feared had mixed with some chemicals. Because of mutual aid, Belmont typically responds, but, since Belmont crews were tied up fighting the fast-moving plaza blaze, the out-of-town cover trucks responded to the minor incident in Franklin.

This year Belmont Fire Chief Rick Siegel had requested a ladder truck for the department but the Budget Committee took it out of the budget because of the cost.

There were at least four ladder trucks used throughout the night to attack the fire, which Budget Committee Chair Ron Mitchell said is why the mutual aid system is in place.

"We use the mutual aid system. That’s what we have it for," he said. "I thought the trucks did an adequate job. It’s the reason we have mutual aid because not all of the towns can afford equipment."