MCES comes to Fire Station's Rescue

If you’ve ever heard of Karma, you might say it’s alive and well and happening in Lincoln County right now. It all began on the morning of December 18th when firefighters arrived to the Somerville Fire Department only to discover the generator they used to power the

furnace had been stolen. Central Maine Power, busy with recent storms had yet to connect electrical service- one of the last steps needed to complete the new station. In it’s new location on Rt. 105, near the Somerville School, the building must stay heated at all times to keep fire trucks from freezing and ready at a moments notice. The theft of the generator had the potential to take the project completion back a step or two, and in the dead of winter. The cost of a new generator would have forced the department to raise more money to complete the building. Fire Chief Mike Dostie employed his camper generator as a temporary solution.

Enter Mid Coast Energy Systems technician and fellow firefighter - Ryan Gallagher; Who said, “When I read the article in the Lincoln County News I thought, there might be something we, as a company can do-- so I brought the situation to management.” After discussion and without hesitation, it agreed upon that Mid-Coast would donate a new Generac Generator 5500 to the new Fire Station.

Empathy, brotherhood and general concern for the communities MCE serves were all factors in the company’s quick decision for the donation. Not surprisingly, there are many volunteer firefighters among the employees at Mid-coast Energy. In addition to Ryan Gallagher, who is the Fire Chief of Nobleboro, John Potter is the Captain of Edgecomb, while Paul Stebner and Chris Carter are both with the Nobleboro Department; Stebner serves as Assistant Chief. Mid-coast Energy’s Installations Manager John Blodgett is a Lieutenant with the Waldoboro Fire Department and commented that “ I know that we all understand that our job at MCE comes first, however the owners of the company show their support for firefighters 100% by allowing us to respond as needed. I have often been told by one or more of the owners that if their own house were on fire- they’d want enough manpower available!” 

Volunteer firefighters of today have more and more responsibilities. The training requirements put out by the Department of Labor and OSHA are very intense. Typically there are 3 to 4 meetings per month. Each firefighter is required to put in a minimum of 12-16 hours per month towards some type of training or meeting. The requirements are even more demanding, for the Chief Officers of the Departments. Adding to the many challenges of today for rural departments, is the fact that more and more volunteers are employed out of the towns they live in and serve, making them often unavailable for calls during normal business hours between 7am and 5pm. This means that a firefighter

may be called to a town other than their own at any moment, sacrificing time away from family, and often risking their owns lives to keep communities safe.

Volunteer firefighters of today have more and more responsibilities. The training requirements put out by the Department of Labor and OSHA are very intense. Typically there are 3 to 4 meetings per month. Each firefighter is required to put in a minimum of 12-16 hours per month towards some type of training or meeting. The requirements are even more demanding, for the Chief Officers of the Departments. Adding to the many challenges of today for rural departments, is the fact that more and more volunteers are employed out of the towns they live in and serve, making them often unavailable for calls during normal business hours between 7am and 5pm. This means that a firefighter may be called to a town other than their own at any moment, sacrificing time away from family, and often risking their owns lives to keep communities safe.

The new Somerville Fire Station was built entirely from donations and fundraising events. This donation from Mid-Coast Energy is a well -deserved gesture to those who sacrifice so much for local communities and citizens. The old adage of ‘one good turn deserves another’ would be appropriate, but today such events are often described as good ‘Karma.’ If asked, Mid-Coast Energy Systems short answer would be… ‘it’s simply a good thing to do.’