The Aroostook County Commissioners approved $695,380 for multiple ambulance, fire and sheriff deputy patrol service contracts for The County’s unorganized territories on Wednesday.
People living in Maine’s unorganized territories do not have local emergency and public safety services and each county is responsible for coordinating these services, often through contracts with other towns or law enforcement agencies.
The funding for these services comes from state and county unorganized territory funds, according to Maine law.
During the County Commissioners’ monthly meeting Wednesday in Houlton, the following contracts were approved.
Patten Ambulance Service was awarded two one-year contracts from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026. One contract is $13,000 for three townships, including North Yarmouth Academy Grant, T1R4 and T1R5. Previously, East Millinocket provided services for these townships, but when they could no longer do that, Patten Ambulance Service agreed to cover the locations, according to John Gibson, community services director.
The second one-year contract is for $39,000, a 20 percent increase from last year, for ambulance services to Silver Ridge, Benedicta, T2R4 and T3R4.
Southern Aroostook EMS will provide ambulance service for one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026, for Cary, St. Croix, Webber, Dudley, Forkstown, TCR2, T8R3 and TAR2 for $39.523, a five percent increase from last year.
The Town of Linneus will provide three years of fire protection services for $3,157, a three percent increase from last year for TAR2.
Additionally, the Aroostook County Sheriff will provide three years of contracted law enforcement protection services from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029 in The County’s unorganized territories for $600,700, which will be paid in quarterly installments from Aroostook’s unorganized territory budget.
