Firefighter injured while battling blaze at pellet company in Athens

A Cornville firefighter is now recovering from injuries he suffered while fighting a fire at Maine Woods Pellet Co. on Harmony Road in Athens, according to the Morning Sentinel. According to the publication, the fire was reported around 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. Crews from at least eight departments worked for more than three hours to contain the blaze to the second floor and rafters of a building where wood pellets are manufactured. It’s believed the fire started when someone was welding earlier in the day. One firefighter suffered what’s described as an airway injury, according to the paper. They were taken by ambulance to a local hospital and then Life Flighted to Maine Medical Center. The firefighter is expected to recover, according to a statement provided by the fire department to the publication.
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor

Looking back: Camden’s emergency medical service rooted in 1936 ambulance acquisition

PHOTOS: Camden voters will consider at the June Town Meeting polls whether to further expand EMS capacity of their fire department. This entails hiring three full-time firefighters who are trained as EMTs, a move, if approved, that expands the fire department’s staff from four to seven full-time employees. The Select Board debated the expenditure at its April 16 meeting to finalize the proposed budget, and ultimately voted 3 to 2 to send the matter along to voters. Voters will not, however, be asked to purchase an ambulance for the town, as was originally proposed in March. For more than five years, Camden has been talking about restoring emergency medical services to the purview of its fire department. In 2019, area fire chiefs and town managers publicly discussed the idea of building a regional ambulance service run by municipalities.
PenBay Pilot

Sen. Collins pushes for Maine firefighters’ voices to be heard in Washington

VIDEO: Maine lawmakers are pushing for firefighters’ voices to be heard. This comes amid an ongoing rulemaking process that could drastically change how departments operate and train. It all stems from a newly proposed "emergency response standard" from OSHA. While the agency says the current rules are outdated, some rural departments are concerned the proposal is too much, too quick. The proposal spans hundreds of pages and includes 22 major changes for firefighters. They range from new training requirements and health evaluations to how turnout gear and other equipment must be handled. A main worry for agencies in Maine, especially smaller ones, is how much money they may have to spend to come into compliance if the proposal moves forward. Last week, Senator Susan Collins brought those concerns to the acting head of the Department of Labor.
WPFO-TV FOX 23 Waterville

Crews respond to warehouse fire in Winslow

VIDEO: Multiple crews responded to a fire at a warehouse in Winslow Wednesday morning. Crews were called to the Kennebec River Development Park on Benton Avenue for an active building fire. As they arrived, they saw bales of recycled fiber on fire inside the building. Officials say as they started to put the fire out, the bales started falling down which created a hazard for firefighters. The fire was next to the Marden’s Distribution Center, but officials say nothing was damaged there. ”The whole mill was operating. We shut just this quarter of the mill off. They were able to shut power off and the smoke doors worked, so the rest of the mill is still running. The Marden’s distribution is still running, everything is still running,” said Deputy Chief Michael Murphy, Winslow Fire Department.
WABI-TV CBS/CW+ 5 Bangor