Maine Forest Ranger Pilot Chris Blackie (far left) and Ranger Daniel Welch (far right) stand with campers from the Central Lincoln County YMCA’s First Responders Camp. The day marked the end of the first year of the week-long camp at the YMCA. (Nate Poole photo)
On Friday, Aug. 6, campers at the Central Lincoln County YMCA’s First Responders Camp had the opportunity to meet Maine Forest Rangers and explore one of their helicopters.
At around 2 p.m., Maine Forest Ranger Pilot Chris Blackie landed his helicopter in the football field behind Great Salt Bay Community School to meet Ranger Daniel Welch and an elated group of campers ranging in ages from 8 to 12 years old.
The day capped off the first-ever First Responders Camp at the YMCA, an ambitious collaboration between fire departments from Newcastle, Damariscotta, Bristol, and Bremen, as well as Central Lincoln County Ambulance, Damariscotta Police Department, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maine Forest Rangers.
Central Lincoln County YMCA campers wave from Maine Forest Ranger Daniel Welch’s tailgate as Ranger Pilot Chris Blackie guides his helicopter away from the Great Salt Bay Community School’s football field on Friday, Aug. 6. (Nate Poole photo)
Campers met for three hours each day for one week to participate in various activities, including meeting the sheriff’s office’s K-9 unit, participating in a scaled down “fireman’s muster” competition, and exploring fire engines.
Campers also practiced valuable skills like basic CPR and first aid, bike safety, and calling 911.
While putting together the camp was a team effort, Newcastle Fire Company Captain Jake Abbott first proposed the camp and was the driving force behind it.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Aug. 10, Abbott said he came up with the idea because many emergency response agencies in Lincoln County are struggling to recruit members and he thought a day camp would be a great way to build interest with young people.
While putting the camp together took months, Abbott described it as “a joy” to work with other departments outside of mutual aid at emergencies.
With 11 campers this year, Abbott plans to not only put the camp together next year, but to also start middle and high school programs that will allow campers to learn more technical skills involved in first response like extrication and fire training in a highly controlled environment.
For more information about current and future summer camps through the Central Lincoln County YMCA, go to clcymca.org/clcymca-summer-camp.
