Since being named president of the Lincoln County Fire Chiefs Association in February, Alna Fire Chief Mike Trask has been maintaining the mission and goals of the organization.
“It’s an organization with a great tradition,” Trask said on July 26.
As president, Trask has overseen fundraising efforts, coordinated mandatory safety training, and presides over the six yearly meetings of the organization.
A firefighter since he was 18, the 43-year-old Trask has seen big changes in both Alna and the county as a whole.
“Overall I think the biggest difference is the level of training and the sophisticated equipment municipalities are acquiring,” he said.
With the addition of a state of the art firefighting training trailer in Wiscasset purchased by the county, Trask said interlocal coordination would continue to be paramount and now more efficient.
“The training sessions are crucial and it helps build camaraderie throughout the ranks,” Trask said. “Firefighters learn to work together and it builds friendships. The training trailer means we can train in the county without having to send guys out of state. You can’t put a high enough value on that”
Trask said fire departments all face issues with funding but insists it’s out of a commitment to public safety.
“We’re all taxpayers and don’t approach these requests lightly,” he said. “Money is tight everywhere and the fire departments hopefully justify the demand to the residents.”
