New programs to address need for firefighters, truck drivers

The lack of firefighters in Washington County and an increased demand for truck drivers for the new St. Croix Tissue plant in Baileyville have led the technical education center in Calais to add programs to meet the area's needs. The St. Croix Regional Technical Center (SCRTC), which provides instruction for area high school students, is offering a new program to train firefighters and is reinstating a truck driver training program that had to be cancelled two years ago because of changes in federal regulations.
To help launch the new fire science program, the Pleasant Point Fire Department on September 3 donated one of its fire engines, a 1982 Chevrolet/FMC pumper, to SCRTC. The technical center also has received donations of turn-out gear. Bob McShane, the student services coordinator at SCRTC, notes, "It's a real benefit to us to start the new program."
McShane says that SCRTC decided to offer the fire science program after Eastport Fire Chief Richard Clark two years ago had mentioned "the graying of the fire departments" in the area. A meeting of 19 fire chiefs from throughout Washington County was then held in March 2013 at the technical center, which "started the ball rolling." The fire chiefs said that their departments "were desperate for volunteer firefighters," McShane relates. The fire department in Topsfield had recently disbanded because of a lack of volunteers, and this past month the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department announced that it plans to disband because of a lack of manpower. Also, in March 2014 there was a fire at the chip mill in Woodland that some observers said "could have been knocked down" more quickly if there had been more firefighters, he adds.
"It's tough for volunteers who are adults with families to do the [firefighter] training on nights and weekends," McShane points out. He notes that the program will benefit all of the communities in the area. McShane also observes that with fewer volunteer firefighters and fire departments, local property owners can end up paying higher home insurance rates. Although some of the fire science students may move from the area, McShane says, "Most of the young ones want to stay in the local area."
The SCRTC received a $25,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, and SCRTC Director Bob Moholland started up the program, with the Calais School Committee approving it. Along with the donations of gear and a fire truck, the program will be able to use the facilities of the Calais Fire Department.
Pleasant Point Fire and EMS Director Joey Barnes recalls that in the late 1980s all the firefighters in the area were certified, but "now we're lucky to have six or eight guys who have basic fire training." He notes that training requirements have increased over the years and points out, "People have to be trained for the level of the fire you're putting them in to."
His father, Chick Barnes, had started the fire department at Pleasant Point in 1976, and Joey grew up with it. "Seeing that younger generation interested is awesome," he comments. He adds that the new program will work well for the Pleasant Point department, as there are Native students at all three high schools served by SCRTC. "This was an easy sell for us," he says of the fire truck donation.
Clark, the Eastport fire chief, observes, "We're all in the same boat. Everybody is in need of more volunteers." Noting that it is a significant commitment to take the training required, he points out that the Firefighter I training currently being offered in Whiting is being held on the weekends from the spring to the fall. "It takes a lot of hours," he says, adding that the department, the town or the individual has to pay for the training.
The SCRTC fire science program will provide the training for students to be prepared to be Firefighter I or Firefighter II certified. When they pass the program, they also will have earned six college credits at a community college. In addition, they are receiving up to four credits from their high school, all at no cost to the student.
Barnes notes that the program "might give someone the confidence to continue in school." He also points out that, with the poverty rates in the area, the program will provide an opportunity for students to work in the firefighting field with larger departments.
As for the reasons a student would want to become a firefighter, David Sullivan, a lieutenant with Calais Fire-EMS who will be the program's instructor, comments, "It's rewarding when you help someone through their emergency."
The program can handle 10 students. Presently six are enrolled, and Barnes says, "I see it blossoming from there." Among those enrolled are Shead High School students Jason Tompkins and Dustin Bowen. Bowen is on the Perry Volunteer Fire Department and Tompkins is on the Pleasant Point department. Of Tompkins, Barnes notes, "I love his drive. He wants to volunteer. You don't see that today."

Truck driving program
SCRTC also has reinstated its truck driving program, which provides the training for students to take their Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL) test. Congress changed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations two years ago so that anyone training to be a truck driver had to be 18 years of age. Trucking firms then lobbied the federal government, as truck driving students across the country were 16 and 17 years old, and the regulations eventually were changed so that a student can receive a truck driving permit at age 16 as long as they attend a truck driving school. "It afforded us the opportunity to bring it back," says Bob Moholland, who is teaching the program at SCRTC. "It's what we were doing for 14 years."
The program, which can take seven students, already has six this fall. Of the former SCRTC students who took the CDL exam, Moholland says, "We have a 95% pass ratio," with both male and female students having taken the program. "I bet over 80% drove for different organizations," with some taking it on as a career.
Students can get the training at no cost by attending SCRTC, while otherwise they would have to pay between $5,000 and $7,000 to attend a truck driving school.
Moholland says, "We're very glad to have it back." Noting that St. Croix Tissue will be needing up to 80 trucks a day, he points out that there is a shortage of truck drivers in the area. "It's good timing," he says of SCRTC's being able to offer the program again.
In addition to students enrolled at Calais, Shead and Woodland high schools, SCRTC can accept in all of its programs any graduates of those three high schools up to the age of 26.
Moholland notes that the school provides students with the training so they can either immediately enter a career field after graduation or continue their education, with up to six college credits. He points out the value of the credits, with community colleges charging $1,000 or more a credit hour.
Other programs offered by SCRTC are in the fields of automotive, building trades, business administration, certified nursing assistant, computer electronics, culinary arts, early childhood education and welding.