Fire Boat Response Times in Portland, Maine
| Submitted | March 9, 2021 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: William Middleton
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Maine Freedom of Access Act, I hereby request the following records:
For the five-year period starting January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020, I would like to request from the Portland, Maine Fire Department all information on fire boat response times. Specifically, when a fire boat was dispatched to one of Portland's islands in response to a medical emergency, I would like to know: the name of the island requesting assistance, the time that that request for assistance was first received by the Portland Fire Department, the time the fire boat was dispatched, the time the fire boat arrived at the destination island, and, if the patient required more advanced treatment, the time the patient was released to the care of a hospital or medical center on the mainland.
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by 1 M.R.S.A. § 408(6). The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
William Middleton
From: Portland Fire Department
This email is to acknowledge our receipt of your recent Maine Freedom of
Access request.
We are reviewing your request and working on gathering the information
requested. To the extent the documents you requested are protected and/or
confidential, we reserve the right to deny your request in whole or in
part. Once we have gathered the documents, we will make arrangements to get
you the non-protected and non-confidential information either digitally or
in hard copy. We will also include an invoice, if applicable, for the
reasonable costs of copying and $15 per hour, after the first hour, for the
time involved in searching for, retrieving and compiling the requested
information as we are entitled to under 1 M.R.S.A. § 408-A.
---------------------------------
Jessica Grondin
Director of Communications & Digital Services
City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
c: 207.272.7885
jgrondin@portlandmaine.gov
Learn about our new public health campaign:
Stay the Course <http://staythecourse.me>, Portland
*City Hall is currently closed to the general public at this time. *
*For more info on accessing our limited in-person *
*services and other info and resources, **visit
www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19 <http://www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19>*
Sign up to receive city news & alerts
<https://www.portlandmaine.gov/stayconnected>
Follow us on Twitter @CityPortland <http://www.twitter.com/cityportland>
Follow us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/cityofportlandme>
Instagram @CityPortland <http://www.instagram.com/cityportland>
Report issues via SeeClickFix <https://en.seeclickfix.com/portland_2>
www.portlandmaine.gov
---------------------------------
Jessica Grondin
Director of Communications & Digital Services
City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
c: 207.272.7885
jgrondin@portlandmaine.gov
Learn about our COVID-19 public health campaign:
Stay the Course <http://staythecourse.me>, Portland
*City Hall is currently closed to the general public at this time. *
*For more info on accessing our limited in-person *
*services and other info and resources, **visit
www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19 <http://www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19>*
Sign up to receive city news & alerts
<https://www.portlandmaine.gov/stayconnected>
Follow us on Twitter @CityPortland <http://www.twitter.com/cityportland>
Follow us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/cityofportlandme>
Instagram @CityPortland <http://www.instagram.com/cityportland>
Report issues via SeeClickFix <https://en.seeclickfix.com/portland_2>
www.portlandmaine.gov
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maine Freedom of Access Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 9, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Portland Fire Department
Hello,
We are estimating that it will take 10 hours of work to fulfill this
request, which means it is estimated to cost $135. Would you still like us
to proceed?
As reference, Maine FOAA law dictates the first hour of work is free, and
after that each hour is $15.
Thanks,
Jessica
---------------------------------
Jessica Grondin
Director of Communications & Digital Services
City of Portland
389 Congress Street
Portland, Maine 04101
c: 207.272.7885
jgrondin@portlandmaine.gov
Learn about our COVID-19 public health campaign:
Stay the Course <http://staythecourse.me>, Portland
*City Hall is currently closed to the general public at this time. *
*For more info on accessing our limited in-person *
*services and other info and resources, **visit
www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19 <http://www.portlandmaine.gov/COVID19>*
Sign up to receive city news & alerts
<https://www.portlandmaine.gov/stayconnected>
Follow us on Twitter @CityPortland <http://www.twitter.com/cityportland>
Follow us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/cityofportlandme>
Instagram @CityPortland <http://www.instagram.com/cityportland>
Report issues via SeeClickFix <https://en.seeclickfix.com/portland_2>
www.portlandmaine.gov
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: William Middleton
Yes, please proceed with this request. I will pay the cost.
From: Portland Fire Department
Hello Mr. Middleton.
I am the attorney for the Portland Police Department and I am handling your
FOAA request regarding data on response times for Portland island calls
dating back to 2015. In order to determine whether this request
qualifies for a waiver of fees, please provide an explanation for your
request. Usually the fees include the costs of copying and $15 per hour,
after the first hour, for the time involved in searching for, retrieving
and compiling the requested information. Thank you for your time.
Beth Poliquin
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: William Middleton
I am a student in a journalism course at the University of Nevada Reno, and I am requesting these documents in partial fulfillment of the requirements of that course. Additionally, I have a personal interest. I am a resident of Portland. I live on Great Diamond Island. I am also an EMT with Engine 13 of the Portland Fire Department. Engine 13 services Great Diamond Island. Fire boat response times are relevant to the kind of care and treatment we provide patients here. I am interested in the same data for the other islands for comparison purposes. Thank you.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maine Freedom of Access Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 9, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Portland Fire Department
Hi Mr. Middleton. I am trying to move your request along, however we don't
have the ability to assign the work to anyone on a full-time basis. I've
just checked in with the Dispatch Manager. I will let you know what I find
out. beth
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: Portland Fire Department
I'm just checking in to let you know that the City hasn't forgotten about
your request. We are still working on a way to gather this information
that won't result in an enormous cost to the City or you. I'll continue to
try to keep you posted on our progress. Beth
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: William Middleton
Thank you, Beth. I appreciate the updates. Bill
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maine Freedom of Access Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 9, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maine Freedom of Access Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 9, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Maine Freedom of Access Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 9, 2021. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Portland Fire Department
Good Morning. We are very close to finishing your request. I should have
the information for you next week.
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: William Middleton
Thank you for the update.
From: Portland Fire Department
The records you requested are ready. Do you want them mailed to you or will
you pick them up at the PPD?
Thank you.
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: Portland Fire Department
Good Morning Mr. Middleton. The information that you requested is ready for
pick-up at the Portland PD. I will leave it at the front desk. Beth
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.
From: William Middleton
I'm sorry I've been slow in responding; I'm only seeing this now. I can pick the records up in town, but I'd like clarification on the location. You're saying the records are available for pick-up at the police department (PPD)? I ask because the requested records are from the fire department (PFD). In either case, a street address would be helpful. Thanks, Bill
From: Portland Fire Department
The records are at the front desk of the Portland police department 109
Middle St. Portland, ME. They were compiled by the Portland Dispatch
center.
--
Notice: Under Maine law, documents - including e-mails - in the possession
of public officials or city employees about government business may be
classified as public records. There are very few exceptions. As a result,
please be advised that what is written in an e-mail could be released to
the public and/or the media if requested.