We are the Presque Isle Fire Department

To the editor:
    Do you really know who your fire department is? When was the last time you stopped in or attended an open house? Have you wondered what all the controversy is surrounding ambulance coverage? Let me try to give you an idea who we are and what we can do.     We have a crew of five people on duty 24-7-365. We have three crews that rotate 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off duty and on call. Each crew is supervised by a deputy fire chief and consists of two driver/operators and two firefighters. One of the firefighters is tasked to cover the airport for any flights with 19 or more paying customers. They are required by FAA to be at the crash/rescue building 15 minutes before the flight lands and 15 minutes after it takes off. This allows us to meet the response requirement of three minutes from the time of the call until we are flowing water in case of an emergency. This firefighter is out of the station and unavailable to us four times a day for about two hours each time.
    The National Fire Protection Agency(NFPA) requires that before we enter any structure fire for every two people we send in to the structure we must have two outside to provide backup should something happen to the other two. The only exception to this requirement is when there is a life to be saved, and then it is up to our discretion how much risk to take. If we were to reduce staff our ability to make a significant impact on stopping the fire would be reduced significantly.
    Right now if you call for us to respond, depending on where you live on average we will be there in five minutes or less. In addition to answering emergency calls the full-time staff also conducts over 1,000 hours of life safety inspections on businesses and apartments in Presque Isle. We provide fire extinguisher training free of charge to area businesses or groups. We spend numerous hours teaching fire prevention in the schools and the community. We provide child safety seat checks and installations free of charge. We have a smoke detector program, where all you have to do is fill out a questionnaire and we will install a free smoke detector in your home. We do much more than just answer emergency calls and would like to have the chance to show you.
    We support our full-time staff with a roster of 33 volunteer/paid call members. Although the roster is not always full we average about 30 people. We have a core group of around 10 who have been here for 10 years or more. The rest of the roster tends to rotate in and out with some brand new people and some with 2-5 years of service. This volunteer force has a monthly meeting and two drill nights each month in addition to any emergencies we need them for, so at least one night a week they are away from family.
    These folks all work full-time jobs and very few can leave their work during the weekday hours, which limits our available resources. We appreciate that they do what they can when they can for us. In addition to regular meetings and drills they attend numerous specialized trainings including; special rescue techniques, hazardous materials mitigation, and mass casualty training. In fact our members staff the regional hazardous material decontamination strike team for central Aroostook County.
    The full-time members are required to have a minimum of certifications before they are even hired. We require a minimum of state certified firefighter level II, hazardous materials operations level and EMT-Basic. The current staff consists of four paramedics, three intermediates, and five basic EMTs, with the remaining three CPR and first aid certified. Three of our staff works for Crown Ambulance on their days off, another one subs at Houlton Fire and Ambulance and one subs for Ashland Ambulance. Maine Emergency Medical Services (EMS) sets the standard for all licensed EMTs in the state of Maine. We are all required to follow the same protocols and standards of care from Fort Kent to Kittery, private or municipal service.
    So to best sum it up I would say the fire department is like an insurance policy, until you need to use it you don’t really realize what it’s worth, but when you do need it you’re sure glad you paid for it all those years.
    I would encourage you to take the time to stop by or call us and get all the information before you make up your mind about the fire department or only listen to what is said on the street. It only seems fair that you give us the chance to give our side of the story and tell you who we are. We have a lot of information to give out, from handouts to videos showing how fast fire grows in a structure to guides for installing wood stoves and more. Come in and see the people who work here, who are here for you every day of the year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Memorial weekend or any weekend or holiday, it doesn’t matter, we are here for you if you need us. We are open 24-7-365, come in sit at our table, have a cup of coffee and let’s chat, or give us a call at 769-0881 or 764-2537.