Four people recently interviewed Paris Fire Chief Brad Frost about becoming firefighters, but after hearing about the 100-plus hours of required training, only one remained.
“It is kind of hard to say anything” to persuade potential recruits, Frost said Friday during a phone interview. “Nowadays it takes an awful lot of dedication.”
Yet the time-consuming training necessary to become a firefighter is not the only reason fire departments around Maine are struggling to fill their ranks.
Fire officials say an influx of new residents into rural parts of the state, which increases the possibility for house fires, as well as a decline of the traditional manufacturing sector that once employed many small-town firemen, have combined to decrease the numbers of these vital volunteers.
Frost said that in one year, Paris experienced a 20 percent increase in emergency fire calls, from 193 in 2004 to 239 in 2005.
But fortunately for Frost, he said he has added three new people in the last four weeks because they moved into town.
Other towns have established various strategies to make up for departments that could stand to be more robust.
Norway Fire Chief Michael Mann said his department could ideally use another 10 fighters. “We rely on mutual aid,” he said, which is the system where local firefighting teams assist one other.
Mexico Fire Chief Gary Wentzell said that last March, his town started a junior firefighting program, allowing 15-year-olds to train for the job. When these high schoolers reach 18, they will be able to join the force.
“They have more time to do training because they are not tied down to family or jobs,” he said. But he admitted that they could, like any young person, leave town to go to college, join the service, or find a better paying job.
One possibility for small town fire departments is to hire a full-time chief and even some full-time firefighters, moving in the direction of a permanent department.
Lewiston Fire Chief Michael Lajoie, who oversees a 71-person crew, said the numbers of applicants to his department are dwindling, because prospective employees typically come from volunteer teams. And fewer people have obtained the qualifications needed for a paid position with a city force.
He said that paid personnel is a possibility for small towns, as well as mandating that homeowners install sprinkler systems that can help control or even put out fires, which would decrease the need for a response from many firefighters who might not be there.
State Fire Marshal John Dean said, “It’s like having a firefighter on duty seven days a week, 24 hours a week.”
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