Photo By Airman 1st Class Bridget Rossignol | From left, Fire Chief Cody Sullivan of the Herman Fire Department, MSgt. Ryan McGuire,...... read more read more
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BANGOR AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Me. (Sept. 12, 2024) - Teamwork makes the dream work. It’s a longstanding cliche that reigns true for Bangor Air National Guard 101st Fire and Emergency Services and surrounding community departments. With a shortage of first responders nationwide, these small Maine departments rely on each other to get the job done. In reflection of the tragic events of September 11th, 23 years ago, the brotherhood remains strong as ever.
“The New York City Fire Department, which is the biggest fire department in our country, had to call for mutual aid,” said Fire Chief Cody Sullivan of the Herman Fire Department. “They had to have help from other people.”
This significant moment in history showed that in times of need, even the most prepared must rely on those around them. The largest benefit the 101st provides to the greater community is their manpower. Last year, the 101st Fire and Emergency Services crew responded to 97 mutual aid calls. These calls ranged from structure fires to car accidents to health emergencies and everything in between.
“We’re here to serve our state and community,” said MSgt. Anthony Melanson, Station Captain at the 101st Fire and Emergency Services. “We’re already here, we’re trained to do it, so it’s important that we are actually getting out in our community to help support them as well.”
To find success and cohesion on these calls, surrounding departments take part in mutual training as often as they can.
“At the end of the day, we all do the same job,” said MSgt. Ryan McGuire, Station Captain at the 101st Fire and Emergency Services. “We all may accomplish a task in a different way, but it’s important that we have a basic understanding of how the host department wants to accomplish the task.”
Although many trainings are scheduled in advance, sometimes a last minute phone call is made to invite surrounding departments to participate. Whether it’s ladder training, cutting cars, house burns or live fire, each department works to ensure their counterparts are just as prepared to go when the alarm sounds.
In addition to manpower, the 101st Fire and Emergency Services crew brings extensive experience in remote area training which is vital in this mountainous region of Maine.
“Surrounding cities might get a one or two day refresher on all the different rope rescue techniques,” said Melanson. “We get sent to a whole month-long school, so it’s a lot more thorough and in-depth, where a lot of smaller towns just don’t have the funding.”
Being able to work cohesively, answer a quick phone call, and be ready at the drop of a hat is a testament to the relationships formed outside of the workplace.
“The fire ground is not the first time one firefighter should meet another,” said McGuire. “If we get a new guy, or the surrounding departments get a new guy, we’ll swing in and get everybody entwined so they know who’s who.”
Playing golf or calling to check up on each other's families are just a couple ways they like to keep their relationship strong. Common interests make connection easy, but it’s certain personal qualities that foster the positive dynamic.
“The organization I’m working for now is different than previous ones,” said Lieutenant Chris Grindle of the Hampden Fire Department. “However, when you look at the quality of people, affect, empathy, organization, their ability to do the job, those things haven’t changed.”
These tangible qualities are critical in any successful team. Diving deeper than surface level knowledge of your counterparts is just as important.
“One of the more important skills to have is knowing somebody’s having a good or bad day,” said Mcguire. “You have to just be able to look at somebody and know.”
With the amount of time spent together, the departments become like second families for each member.
As a Chief, Sullivan places high value on getting to know your team, and knowing how they work best.
“I look at my folks as they’re the tools in the toolbox and I’m the mechanic,” said Sullivan. “You have to use multiple tools to accomplish a task. A lot of what I try to do is make sure the right tools are in the right place at the right time. You wouldn’t pound a bolt with a hammer, you’d use a wrench.”
A positive environment filled with interpersonal connection is key to the team's success. As difficult and complex as this job can be, the motivating factors are quite simple. Making a difference is the most sought after goal.
“Someone has decided to call 911,” said Grindle. “To them, that is the worst day of their life. They’re going to be vulnerable, they require assistance, and it’s your crew that is there to help.”
No matter how big or how small the call is, each department will provide their expertise to solve the problem as quickly and effectively as possible.
For Sullivan, the people he works with motivate him to show up and get the job done.
“Generally, folks that are in the fire service are like minded individuals,” he said. “They are people that you would want to hangout with outside of work.”
He expressed that going to work is like hanging out with an extension of your family. Sullivan spent 14 years with the 101st Fire and Emergency Services and misses the people he worked with most when reflecting on his time there.
The trust established between departments is what makes them so successful. Each one knows that before they’ve even hung up the phone asking for help, the other is already on the way.
“It’s that brotherhood,” said McGuire. “They need help and we’re on our way.”
When asked about their most memorable mutual call, laughter spilled out before more than a couple words were even said. The reminiscence was tangible, and that moment in time encapsulated what it really takes to have a successful team; get to know your people and serve for a common goal.
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.15.2024 07:43 |
| Story ID: | 480887 |
| Location: | BANGOR, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 374 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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