In the event of an emergency, what if the Bracys’ lobster boat is out of the water? While such a question may not make sense to many people, island residents know that the answer to questions such as this may literally prevent the loss of human life. For many islands, lobster boats are the best way to ferry islanders experiencing medical difficulties to the mainland. On Nov. 5, firefighting representatives from Peaks, Islesboro, Vinalhaven, Great Diamond and Great Cranberry met at the Island Institute for an Island Firefighters Forum to discuss this and other unique issues facing the firefighters and EMS First Responders who service Maine’s islands.
There are several reasons why island communities are particularly concerned about fire. Because islands are only easily accessible by boat, emergency vehicles and all the equipment necessary to fight blazes ranging from small brush fires to large structural fires must be located on-island. Furthermore, the lack of public water systems on many islands makes it difficult to find the water necessary to extinguish fires. Many towns have designated wells or have constructed “fire ponds” from which to directly pump water, and sometimes the fire department can pump water from the ocean, but pre-stored water must be brought to a site located more than a hose length away from one of these sources. Finally, the small year-round populations of many islands often cannot fully fund or staff a professional fire department. In order to protect property and human safety, as well as counter the expense of high insurance rates resulting from these factors, island communities must often rely upon the efforts of semi-professional and/or volunteer fire departments.
Properly training volunteers who have limited schedules, equipment and experience to become professional quality firefighters is a difficult task. Bruce Hensler, a Deputy Administrator for Maine Fire Training & Education (MFTE), joined the meeting to discuss a new training program under development in order to streamline firefighter training for small communities such as islands. The new training program, which will have national accreditation, is anticipated to be announced in January 2005, and is working to more effectively balance classroom and field training.
The assessment and implementation of this program was a concern to many forum attendees. Questions arose concerning whether MFTE would honor the credits of those who have nearly completed the old training program, as well as whether islands could possibly receive classroom training via videotape or the Internet to prevent the need and expense of leaving the island to train. Hensler responded to the question of changing the new requirements for islanders with the comment that, “it’s a big hoop to jump through, but not an impossible hoop to jump through” — an accurate description of island firefighting in general.
Other issues that came up at the Island Firefighter Forum included Insurance Service Office (ISO) ratings, recruiting and retaining volunteers and grants and funding sources. The Island Firefighters Forum will convene again in March.
Please contact Sally Perkins at 594-9209 or sperkins@islandinstitute.org if you are interested in minutes from this meeting or in receiving mailings about the upcoming meeting.
Cyrus Moulton, a native of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, is an Island Fellow on Great Cranberry Island. He is working with the Town of Cranberry Isles to develop a Comprehensive Plan while teaching music at the Islesford (Little Cranberry) School.