Firefighters train at Caribou facility 15 departments attend Fire Officer Academy

CARIBOU – Nineteen firefighters representing 15 departments from around the state spent all day in Caribou on Saturday responding to fires.

The fires, however, were planned. They were part of a 100-hour pilot program offered through the Maine Fire Training and Education department of Southern Maine Technical College, and held at the Loring Commerce Centre last week.

The Fire Officer I Academy focused on developing leadership, administration, command and problem solving skills for a new generation of leaders.

“These are the skills front line fire officers will need in the 21st century,” Steve Willis, training administrator, said Saturday.

Throughout the day, while smoke and flames rolled from the Caribou department’s training building, academy participants took part in live-fire attack scenarios, leading area fire department personnel in responding to fires, ventilating the building, searching for trapped victims and other emergency situations.

Trainees also worked as public information officers for local media.

“We are the first class,” Jim Roy, firefighter from Waterville, said. “We are using what we learned throughout the week in terms of command and situations regular firefighters go through.”

The training is modeled after a program offered in Maryland.

“It is going wonderfully,” Willis said. “This was a highly competitive session to get into and these guys are really dedicated.”

Of Maine’s 12,000 firefighters, 3,000 are officers. More are needed, Willis said.

“These guys are a new breed of officer,” he said. “They work in a tough environment and must consistently make decisions that put people in harm’s way. The skills that go with that are critical.”

The bulk of the nine-day class was spent in lectures and seminars held at Loring.

“This allows everyone to be familiar with procedures so we are all doing the same thing,” David Groder, member of the Augusta Fire Department, said as he took his turn as public information officer Saturday morning.

“It’s not just about fighting fires,” he said. “We are being trained in writing skills, leadership skills, quality assurance, supervisory skills, building codes, fire investigation and incident management.”

This new focus, Willis said, requires new training. “Firefighting is a full service business and how well they all do depends on how well they are led. We have a lot of officers to train.”

It is a challenge, Groder said, for which he and his fellow fighters are ready.

“We all made that decision to be here for nine days,” he said. “Everyone here is dedicated and wants to be here.”

That included even when it meant getting up every morning at 5:20 to the sounds of bagpipes courtesy of Groder’s recorded music.

“I’m the bagpipe guy,” he said. “But one morning one of the other firefighters who really plays the bagpipes got up before me and was marching up and down the hall playing the pipes.”

The academy concluded with graduation ceremonies on Sunday at Loring.