Caribou firefighters graduate from academy

Maine Fire Service Institute’s Officer Training Academy graduates, from left, front: Andrew Santheson (Gardiner), Michael Haven (Scarborough), Dale Bourque (Sanford), Richard Beaudoin (Augusta), Jeff Grinnell (Scarborough), Melissa Bond (Union), Danny Raymond (Caribou), John Thornton (Caribou), Basil Mahaney (Bar Harbor), and Wayne Ham (Wells). In back: Derick Ouellette (Biddeford), Eric Lane (Saco), Thomas Shook (Rockland), Brian LaJoie (Caribou), Eric Davis (Gardiner), Michael Dube (Windham), Sam Weissman (Old Town), and David Tobeck (Wells). (Courtesy of Maine Fire Service Institute)

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Eighteen Maine firefighters have completed rigorous training and graduated from the Maine Fire Service Institute’s Officer Training Academy to prepare them for leadership roles at fire departments across the state.

Three of the graduates hail from Caribou Fire and Ambulance: Captain Brian LaJoie, Captain Danny Raymond and firefighter John Thornton.

A graduation ceremony was held Saturday, March 17, at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast, an outreach center of the University of Maine.

The Maine Fire Service Institute is a department of Southern Maine Community College and provides training and education services to Maine’s firefighters. It is located on SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick.

The weeklong academy focused on legal issues, budgeting, media relations, conflict resolution and other topics that are part of the job for chiefs and other fire officials. Those who complete the academy meet the training requirements for national fire officer certification through the Pro Board Fire Service Professional Qualifications System, also known as Pro Board.