LAGRANGE, Maine — Deputy Chief Eric Pelletier says he used to see a couple hundred of people applying for a handful of positions at the Bangor Fire Department. Now, the department is struggling to find enough people to stay fully staffed.
"Staffing is a problem across the board basically," Pelletier explained to NEWS CENTER Maine Tuesday. "(There are) a lot of different factors. I don't think you can put any one reason to it. There's a generation shift, different commitments at home."
Pelletier says his department offers enticing deals to new recruits -- like a high wage, benefit packages, and often two 24-hour shifts for an entire week. But that may not be the case at every full-time firefighting station in Maine.
According to a study released by Frontpoint Security on Tuesday, October 15, Maine career firefighters receive the fourth lowest salary in the United States. It comes in at $36,750 a year, and when adjusted for cost of living, that increases to a wage of about $17.89 an hour.
The dwindling of firefighter numbers in the state extends beyond the profession as a full-time career, though. A lot of small towns rely on volunteer fire departments -- and those jobs typically entail extended and unpredictable hours, a small amount of pay, and staff that can be hard to keep around.
"There has been a lot of different departments closing, talking about closing," says Bill Franks, Chief at the Lagrange Volunteer Fire Department. "A lot of places are struggling -- not only for volunteers but financially, also."
It's a problem that's recognized even by some of Maine's most influential leaders. Senator Susan Collins spoke about the issue to NEWS CENTER Maine on Saturday, October 5 at the annual firefighter memorial service in Augusta.
"We face some real challenges in the state of Maine where most of our fire departments are staffed by volunteers -- and increasingly, they're finding it difficult to get volunteers to participate."
And if they don't, small towns without enough money to afford to pay full-time departments could suffer.
"If we get a CPR call, and we aren't here, and they have to wait 25 minutes for an ambulance to get there -- they're probably not going to make it," Lagrange volunteer exterior firefighter Carrie Faloon says.
As a result, small town volunteer firefighting departments are asking that their communities better try to understand everything they have to manage -- from finding enough staff, to keeping everyone trained, to responding to emergencies when the time comes.
"We would like to see more support and more understanding on what we do and the things we need, also," Franks says.
For anyone interested in joining the ranks, the Bangor Fire Department is holding application submissions and entrance exams at Central Fire Station on:
- Saturday, October 19 at 9 a.m.
- Saturday, October 26 at 9 a.m.
- Tuesday, October 29 at 6 p.m.
You must bring a valid driver's license, high school diploma or equivalent, and a Maine or National Registry EMT license at the time of your interview.