by Vicki Schmidt
After a minimum of 220 hours of training, they are still rookies. We tell them when they receive their Firefighter certification, that they now have their training wheels. While certification isn’t required to be termed a firefighter, or belong to a Department, a sign of the times is that Federal Programs as well as many insurance requirements will soon require that active members obtain a certified level of competency. Given Maine is the only New England state without a State Fire Academy, or any organized regional emergency services training facility, recruitment and retention, as well as training our firefighters and first responders is an increasing challenge.
There are approximately 15,000 firefighters and first responders that serve Maine’s 1.2 million in population. For every eighty citizens, there is one first responder, and they are as diverse as the State itself. From Magalloway to Machias, and Fort Kent to Kittery; Maine’s firefighters and responders run the gamut from volunteers, paid per call, per diem, on-call, full time, and professional responders. The common denominator is that all receive hundreds of hours of training to begin their careers, and the training never ends. Annual refreshers, natural disasters, and the need to be “all hazard” responders keep the training needs of firefighters, police officers, and emergency services personnel at an all time high.
I’d like to ask you to remember this, the next time you hear an ambulance, police care, or fire truck pass your home late at night. As you snuggle down, give thanks that it’s not you that is the one in 80 that at that moment is in dire need of assistance. And say a little prayer to whatever your guiding spirit may be, that the responder’s en-route have the equipment, training, and guidance, to provide the needed service.
Vicki Schmidt is a guest Blogger, a presenter at the 2008 Blaine House Conference, as well as a State Fire Instructor and a volunteer firefighter and training officer for the Buckfield Fire Department.
