ST. GEORGE — While the St. George Fire Department works to increase the ranks of its volunteer fire department, the department status has been climbing in a nationwide insurance ranking system. 

Insurance Service Office sets the fire department ranking for each town. Most towns with volunteer departments, especially ones like St. George with no hydrants, are at a Class 9, said St. George Town Manager and EMA Director Tim Polky, during a Oct. 15 business meeting. 

Class 10 means that the community has no fire department at all. Class 1 is the best ranking possible.

St. George was a Class 9 for a long time. It is now a Class 6.

“In the past it was – when the tones went out – the siren went out – everybody ran,” said Polky. “We knew that we could get a lot of people here, because there were two or three employers in town that would let their people go to fires and ambulance calls. That doesn’t happen anymore.

“It used to be – you want to help out? Here’s a coat, here’s a hat, here’s some gloves, we’ll show you how to do it as we go in the doors,” he said. “Today we have to show them. They are certified to do everything that we ask them to do.”

Training takes time and commitment. And though Polky admires the younger generations of family-oriented parents who would rather attend Little League games than hang around the fire station, he said, “That’s a good thing; but it also means that we have fewer volunteers.”

As volunteer numbers dwindled from a high of 30 - 40 active members, St. George turned to neighboring towns Thomaston, South Thomaston, Cushing, and Warren for support during confirmed structure fires. Five years ago, those towns signed an official mutual aid agreement, boosting St. George’s ranking from a 9 to a 6. 

For immediate response time, a duty officer is now on duty for the fire department 24/7. During the day, another chief officer responds as well, though both may be coming from regular jobs. 

“Other then that, it’s a – catch ‘em as we can get ‘em,” he said. “Sometimes it’s pretty tight.”

St. George FD operates out of three stations: One is adjacent to Town Hall, another is in Port Clyde, and the third is on Route 73. 

At a Class A ranking, the town was required to establish stations in close proximity to the residents they serve, which holds its own irony. 

“We have a structure that is closer to the Bristol Fire Station then it is to us,” said Polky. “We’re responsible for that. Eastern Egg Rock. You can throw a rock from that lighthouse down there to Pemaquid Point.”

And, Bristol is not among the mutual aid for St. George.

St. George is now able to cover St. George’s entire jurisdiction – a good thing since no volunteer firefighters currently reside in the Port Clyde area, leaving that station idle.

Someday, according to Polky, a resident of that area may be encouraged to volunteer. In the meantime, the fire department still needs their trucks and equipment close, so the Port Clyde station remains valuable. 

This year, the department is buying a new truck, using the station’s reserve account, with money added each year as part of the budget. The station has a 30-year replacement plan for tank trucks and a 25-year plan for engines. 

This year, an engine will be replaced, and was in the plans as such well before a St. George tanker went into a ditch during a recent fire.   Read: Three firefighters injured in crash involving two fire engines

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com