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Jeffrey Stanley is a former public safety officer in midcoast Maine with many years of experience in various positions including as a firefighter/EMT as well as safety, security and political consulting for multiple types of organizations.
I recently turned 54 and I have several years of service in public safety, many as a firefighter/EMT. My life’s work in many ways has been rooted in keeping our communities safe, secure, and supported — first on the front lines responding when families face their worst moments, and then in my work with various not-for-profit organizations.
That is why Susan Collins’ campaign commercials showcasing federal funding for local firehouses as though she is the sole reason for the funding grinds my gears. I have taught classes to fire department chiefs explaining that politics needs to be avoided as much as possible. It is important the public realizes we are coming when they call and we don’t ask who you voted for before we show up. I believe using our stations as political props is wrong.
The senator seems to want voters to believe she single-handedly delivers essential funding to our stations, but working firefighters should know a ribbon-cutting photo op doesn’t tell the whole story. Look past the press releases and examine the full ledger, and I believe Sen. Collins’ record on local funding is a net negative for Maine towns — and for the men and women gearing up to respond in your communities.
Are firefighters grateful for safe, modern stations? Of course. But building renovations don’t pay the bills. When those same first responders sit around their own kitchen tables, they’re staring at $1,000 heating oil bills that don’t fill an empty tank, dropping $80 at the pump just to drive to calls for their volunteer department, and struggling to afford basic groceries and healthcare for their families. A political commercial about a station grant doesn’t fix a net economic record that leaves our first responders squeezed at home.
Generally, federal firehouse funding relies on a collaborative effort across Maine’s entire congressional delegation. Senators submit requests for municipal projects, which are often matched with representatives in the House submitting earmarks across their districts. Meanwhile, critical operational equipment, turnout gear, and staffing support flows through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs — funding streams that flow regardless of who holds a single Senate seat.
What Collins leaves out of her ad campaign is the real math. Taking credit for a local grant while advancing broader federal spending cuts that will squeeze municipal budgets creates a net loss. When federal support drops, local property taxes often rise to cover the difference, shifting the burden straight onto working families. While Collins takes credit for a check, many firefighters are sitting around their kitchen tables at home trying to figure out how to pay their bills. I see it. I talk with these families.
I believe real leadership for first responders isn’t built on campaign commercials; it is built on policy that protects workers and their families. Throughout his career in the Maine Legislature, Troy Jackson has consistently stood up for emergency services. When Maine’s first responders needed real support, Jackson delivered.
In 2010, he sponsored LD 1558 to ensure the payment of accidental death benefits through the Maine Public Employees Retirement System to help families of firefighters lost to job-related cardiovascular or respiratory events.
In 2017, he supported LD 848 to establish a rebuttable presumption under workers’ compensation for first responders diagnosed with job-related PTSD.
In 2021, he championed LD 213 to update worker protections to cover female firefighters facing gynecologic cancers tied to toxic PFAS exposure.
I believe Jackson’s high-profile advocacy for emergency services throughout his legislative career makes a seat on the Congressional Fire Services Caucus a given, and positions him to advocate for first responders from day one.
Maine firefighters don’t need political ads taking credit for federal grants while net funding falls behind. We need a U.S. senator who understands working families and delivers real protection on the job. That is why I am proudly supporting Troy Jackson for the U.S. Senate, and I hope you will too.