LYMAN, Maine — You see them at fire and accident scenes, keeping firefighters, EMTs and the public safe by providing traffic and crowd control along with protecting the scene.
They’re fire-police officers, and Goodwin’s Mills Fire Department is looking for a lot more of them — 10 to 12, to be exact, said Fire Chief Rod Hooper and fire-police Officer John Leeman.
Leeman is one of two fire-police officers for the entire department. He’s also on a mission to form the Southern Maine Fire-Police Association to secure standardized training that would ensure smooth operations when departments provide each other with mutual aid. Firefighters already have that standardized training, Hooper pointed out.
“Fire-police are nothing new; we’ve had them for a long time, since the 1990s,” he said.
Both Hooper and Leeman said being a fire-police officer is ideal for people who would like to volunteer in their communities but aren’t able to become firefighters or EMTs.
Sometimes, folks aren’t up to the physical aspects of firefighting; others may not have time available to meet the hefty training requirements of the fire and emergency medical service.
Ideally, said Hooper, three fire-police officers would be at each scene — one at each traffic point, and a third in the middle, closer to the scene ensuring firefighters don’t step into traffic.
He said the agency is gaining ground on securing firefighter and emergency medical personnel, and is now seeking to bolster its fire-police contingent.
Leeman, who has been a fire-police volunteer for GMFD for several years, said officers need to have a good sense of humor — and be prepared for some motorists to be rude.
“You have to take it in stride,” he said.
Fire-police personnel also have to know the local geography to detour traffic, explain to the public what’s going on, and ensure there’s enough room to maneuver when ambulances need to get off the scene or a wrecker has to come in.
Fire-police have no law-enforcement authority. Considered members of the call force, they receive an hourly wage for approved training and emergency calls. Each officer wears a helmet and a reflective vest or coat, and carries a two-way radio.
According to a GMFD brochure advertising openings, the department responded to more than 700 emergency calls in 2015.
In forming the Southern Maine Fire-Police Association, Leeman is eyeing a training opportunity during the annual fire chiefs’ training weekend the latter part of September, held at York County Community College in Wells.
So far, he’s talked to departments from Saco and Windham to Westbrook, Hollis, Buxton and, of course, his own, and is looking to engage other York County fire departments.
Those interested in becoming fire-police officers at Goodwin’s Mills should go to gmfd.org or check out the department’s Facebook page.
Fire departments looking for more information on the association should go to their Facebook page, called Southern Maine Fire/Police Association.