BUCKSPORT, Maine — Ryan Pickoski was a fourth-generation paper millworker in Bucksport when his world turned upside down almost three years ago.
His great-grandfather, both grandfathers, one of his grandmothers, his father and his uncle all worked at the Bucksport mill, which changed hands many times over the decades and most recently was operated by Verso Paper Corp.
“I always thought I’d retire from the mill,” he said.
But that plan was dashed in December 2014 when, 15 years into Pickoski’s career, Verso shuttered the mill, citing high production costs and a weak demand for the lightweight coated paper made there.
“My whole life changed,” Pickoski said.
But now, less than three years after losing his job to the Verso paper mill closure, Pickoski is embarking on a new career as a firefighter.
[MORE: Two years after mill closure, Bucksport presses on in redefining itself]
On Friday, he received his associate degree in fire science technology from Eastern Maine Community College, with some help from federally funded retraining programs administered by the Maine Department of Labor.
Pickoski, who earned a 4.0 grade point average while in school, is the recipient of the Fire Science Technology Department’s Excellence in Technology Award, given during each graduation to students who have excelled within its program. He also is close to earning the necessary state certifications from the Hancock County Fire Academy. As part of his training, Pickoski is also an Orrington Fire Department intern — a first for the crew of about 25 firefighters.
At 39, Pickoski is getting into firefighting at an age when many in the field are preparing to retire.
A 1995 graduate of Bucksport High School, he served in the U.S. Air Force for 3½ years before returning to Maine to take a job at the mill, then owned by Champion International.
“That was the goal of people who grew up in that town,” he said during an interview on Sunday, May 7.
He was 21 at the time and the mill was hiring people right out of high school.
“When I applied at the mill, I had zero qualification [or] experience,” he said.
According to the Maine Department of Labor, of the 575 workers who lost their jobs at the Bucksport mill, about 350 — more than 60 percent — were 50 or older.
“There was only a handful of us that went back to school,” he said, adding that many retired early, if they could.
Chris Beaumont, chairman of EMCC’s Fire Science Technology Department, said the internship program was developed with older students like Pickoski in mind. It enables them to gain on-the-job training, which younger students typically obtain through the school’s live-in program, he said.
Orrington Assistant Fire Chief Chad Bean said the town saw the merits of the internship when approached by the college.
“We couldn’t be happier with the results that we saw out of this particular program, with this being a new model for the college,” he said.
The 20-hour-a-week internship is not a paid position, but Pickoski received the payments provided for volunteer firefighters who respond to calls.
“It was a great learning experience,” Pickoski said.
Bean said Orrington hopes to bring on more interns in the near future.
“We’re certainly going to participate in this program right up until we can accommodate an actual live-in student,” he said.
Bean said Pickoski has been a good fit at the firehouse.
“His work ethic is second to none,” he said. “His interactions with the other firefighters and even the taxpayers and the customers that we serve in our area are just great. We were certainly happy to have Ryan.”