Public safety fields need new recruits

Washington County mirrors state and national trends in recruiting and retaining volunteers and career professionals in the fields of public safety. Whether a volunteer firefighter for a small town or a law enforcement officer tasked with a wide area of coverage, those in the fields are aging into retirement, and they are not being replaced by the younger generations. While some would point to Maine's aging population as the primary problem, those in the public safety profession note that the same problems are being faced across the nation. It may be easier to provide higher salaries and benefit packages in more affluent areas of the country, but overall the problem is larger.
Michael Crabtree, chief deputy for the Washington County Sheriff's Department, admits that the financial side of things in Washington County is not great for retention. However, in terms of recruitment in general, he says, "I just don't think people are choosing it [law enforcement] as a career." He points out that for the same or better compensation a different career will be without the headaches of long and sometimes erratic hours. "It's something you have to be committed to," he adds.
The career path for public safety and law enforcement can start in high school, Crabtree notes, but he's pretty sure only one high school in Washington County, Narraguagus, offers a class on the subject. But that's the place to start, reaching out to the generation poised on the first rung of the ladder to adulthood, he says. "Those interested will often start in high school, will talk to people, find someone to ride along with and learn about it."

Need for firefighters
Almost three years ago 19 volunteer fire department leaders in Washington County came together to discuss the growing need for members. The fire department in Topsfield had recently disbanded because of a lack of volunteers, and then the Cooper Volunteer Fire Department announced its plan to disband because of a lack of manpower. The meeting led to a fire sciences program developed by the St. Croix Regional Technical Center (SCRTC) in Calais that serves students from the high schools of Eastport, Calais and Woodland. The program is in its first year, and instructor David Sullivan is pleased with the five students enrolled. The maximum size of the class is 10, and Sullivan expects that the program, like the others at the center, will be at maximum enrollment within the next year or so.
The program at the SCRTC provides high school students who successfully complete the program with Firefighter I and II level training that prepares them for state certification. They also leave with six credit hours that can be applied to an associates degree or more at Eastern Maine Community College or Southern Maine Community College. An added benefit to students of the three member schools is for the nontraditional student who can enroll in SCRTC programs up to age 26, free of charge. While students currently enrolled in the three high schools have first priority, former students can call the SCRTC admissions office and ask to be put on a waiting list for their program of choice.
Of Sullivan's students in fire sciences, he's pretty sure that if they did decide to pursue a career in public safety, they'd much prefer to stay in eastern Maine. Trying to figure out how to make that happen is the big picture he and others are working on.
Loan forgiveness for those who get a degree in public safety and return to live and work in underserved communities would be one method, say both Crabtree and Sullivan. The Finance Authority of Maine and the U.S. Department of Education have similar programs for medical students and those in some types of public service and educational fields. Sullivan explains that the training required for Firefighter I and II is rigorous and has high standards regardless of whether the person learning is planning to volunteer or become a career professional. It's the same training and requires a high level of commitment. Providing incentives for those who are drawn to the work could make a difference.
Crabtree says much the same, noting that tackling the problems of recruitment and retention requires comprehensive thinking about compensation, family and lifestyle, student loan forgiveness and career development. He poses the question many in the county are asking who are not just in public safety and law enforcement: "How do we get qualified applicants who are from right here? How do we retain them?