County Sheriff investigates errant driving by Gilmanton fire personnel

The Belknap County Sheriff's Department and the New Hampshire State Police both confirmed yesterday they are conducting investigations into separate allegations of reckless driving by on-duty Gilmanton Fire personnel.

Regarding the first allegation, Sheriff Department Lt. Christopher Cost said his agency was asked by the Gilmanton Police to investigate an allegation made by a Belmont man who said he saw a "command vehicle" pass an ambulance and a fire truck on Route 107 that were on their way to a emergency call.

The Belmont man wrote a letter to the editor of the Laconia Daily Sun and when the Gilmanton Selectmen became aware of it, board members asked Chief Phil O'Brien to have the sheriff's department investigate.

In his letter, Gregory Jandreau said he was driving his motorcycle on Route 107 when he "heard sirens and saw a fire truck approaching me with other emergency vehicles behind it."

Jandreau said suddenly a third vehicle came out from behind the fire truck "on the wrong side of the road" and passed both of the other emergency vehicles.

"I did all I could do to stay on the road," wrote Jandreau who said he had to stop an compose himself before he could continue home.

In the second incident, O'Brien said his department responded to a call for a car that was off the road on Province Road this past Wednesday - the day of a shed fire on Hatch Road.

He said when the driver of the white BMW told his officers that he had "ditched" his car to avoid being run over by a Gilmanton fire truck near Kitchen curve, he had his officers call for a separate agency to investigate.

A state patrol officer was in the area and Sgt. Dave McCormack of Troop E said yesterday his agency would be conducting a full investigation.

While N.H. RSA 265:8 allows for the operators of emergency vehicles to disregard some traffic laws while responding to an emergency, "the provisions of RSA 265:8, II and III shall not relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver from the consequences of his reckless disregard for the safety of others."

And while RSA 265:61 allows for emergency vehicles to exceed posted speed limits it does not "relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver from the consequences of his reckless disregard for the safety of others."

It is standard policy for the sheriff's department and/or the state police to investigate complaints against local fire and police agencies so the local law enforcement agencies are not put in the position of having to investigate fellow town officials.

Gilmanton Fire Chief Kenneth "KG" Lockwood could not be reached for comment on Friday, but when asked, Gilmanton Town Administrator Tim Warren said there was a non public meeting Thursday afternoon between selectmen, O'Brien, and Lockwood.