Dear friends and neighbors,

Recently I had the opportunity to spend over an hour in the Westport Island Fire Station with Chief  Stacey Hutchison and Deputy Chief Jason Abbott to learn more about what goes on there. I was blown away! I hope our fire department will be able to host an Open House for the public this spring, because there is a lot to see and learn! I am embarrassed to admit I had little idea about actual fire science and what is required of all fire departments (including volunteer groups) by the National Fire Protection Association and the Bureau of Labor Standards. Furthermore,  Westport Island is one of only two fire departments in Lincoln County that consists solely of volunteers. Although volunteerism is a wonderful thing, I question whether the men and women putting themselves in harm’s way for the safety of our citizens deserve some sort of reimbursement. Also, some sort of stipend might help us attract more dedicated people to the department, which is the number one need at this time.

Westport Island’s Fire Department currently has between eight and ten firefighters, some of whom act as support personnel. Being a firefighter requires passion and commitment, as everyone, including volunteers, must attend a mandatory six-week fire school before participating in fire calls. Westport Island is very fortunate to have three (soon to be four) individuals who also have undergone an additional 400-hour training program to become certified in Basic Life Support. One person has even put in 600 hours of training to be certified in Advanced Life Support. We also have five individuals who have been trained in ice rescue techniques. Our Island is blessed to have these dedicated folks on call.

Please make the time to check out what Westport Island’s Fire Department has at its disposal. The station houses a pumper truck, hose truck, rescue vehicle, inflatable rescue boat, and state of the art CAFS (compressed air fire system) truck. Since our island’s water sources consist of two ponds, we need hoses to pump from them to a large holding tanker truck. Although we are not insured for the rescue vehicle to transport patients, it can serve as a stabilizing way station while awaiting the Wiscasset Ambulance. (Over 80 percent of calls are medical emergencies.) Trained EMT’s can use the automatic external defibrillator, check vital signs and glucose levels, administer epinephrine, and perhaps take an electrocardiogram. Firefighters also must be trained how to calibrate the air compressor on the CAFS truck so that one thousand gallons of water can be combined with foam concentrate to produce up to 6,000 gallons of firefighting foam. This system was successfully used last season to stop a woods fire on Willis Point which had burned deep into the undergrowth.

Smoke can be blinding and suffocating. The department has purchased a thermal imaging camera which can detect temperature variations indicating both heat sources and living beings. Structure fires can release toxic cancer-causing fumes. To safely outfit one firefighter with gear costs well over $3,000. Firefighters may be equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottles filled with air pumped to 4500 psi, obviously necessitating a compressor. When firefighters finish their jobs on site, they return to the station where their gear is cleaned of toxins in a large, industrial grade washer.

Fire departments depend on a broad mutual aid network. If a chimney fire occurred on our Island, Westport would hopefully provide the first engine on the scene. But other departments might be paged to supply water, provide an ambulance, or back up a department already called out. These emergencies require trained personnel, well maintained equipment, and constant vigilance. Our volunteer department meets every Wednesday evening for training, vehicle and equipment checks and maintenance, planning for the worst, and hoping for the best.

Did you know Maine towns are required by law to provide a firefighting service? At some point, if Westport is not able to attract enough people to this challenging volunteer job, we may need to contract out to a neighboring town. I think we all agree we would prefer to have our own neighbors serve in this capacity. Let’s do all we can to support our dedicated fire department. Chief Hutchison explained they can use both skilled and unskilled workers on the scene and at the firehouse. Did you know you can donate to the department online at www.wvfd-me.org? If you want to learn more, call (837-3944) or email the chief at slhutchff@gmail.com. Please consider how you can help keep the Westport Fire Department strong and sustainable!

Spring arrived this week; let’s hope that looming snowstorm does not! Contact your newshound pat-dick@midcoast.com or call 231-4049.