Whitefield Emergency Medical Services Chief Michael Johnson stands in front of one of the town’s fire trucks at the central fire station on Monday, Feb. 11. Johnson, who has been volunteering with the Whitefield Fire Department for two years, said he is looking forward to contributing to the EMS program. (Piper Pavelich photo)
A 15-year resident of Whitefield, volunteer firefighter Michael Johnson is taking on a new role within the town’s EMS program.
Johnson, who was named the new chief of emergency medical services in Whitefield, brings over 20 years of experience in EMS and agriculture to the role.
He succeeds previous chief Julie Cowles, who stepped down from the role on Jan. 28 after about two years. Cowles took on the role temporarily to fill a need in the town and was prepared to step down when a qualified candidate came along, according to her resignation letter.
“She had stepped into the role initially because there was a concern about just shutting down the first responder system in the town of Whitefield because there just weren’t the volunteers,” said Johnson. “So, it’s been Julie, her partner Steve (Cowles), and myself for the last year and a half and she said, ‘I’m ready to step away from this.’”
A California native, Johnson grew up in the Los Angeles area, graduating high school in 2001 and going on to attend college at California State University in Los Angeles. He would later graduate with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
In 2002, Johnson became an EMT and began working for a local ambulance service while in school. With his affinity for the outdoors, Johnson said he felt the need to be certified in case of hiking and trail work accidents, and his interest in medical services grew from there.
“I was starting to like lead trips in wilderness areas and I said, ‘I should probably be trained for some medical stuff,’” he said.
Johnson went on to work for the National Park Service from 2004-2013, where he met his wife, Erin Anderson, while working on a trail crew. He said his role with the park service included leading groups of high school and college-aged students through trail work and conservation projects around the country, including in Alaska, Arizona, Michigan, and New Jersey.
After awhile, Johnson said he and Anderson were ready to settle down, as short-term assignments throughout the United States weren’t ideal for starting a family.
“I’ve seen some of the – I think – best parts of this country. The National Park System is just incredible,” he said. “I had friends that were in the same circles and they were like, ‘When you guys want to settle, you should check out Maine.’”
Johnson said he and Anderson took the advice and moved to Maine in 2010.
The couple apprenticed with the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for two seasons at Bridge Farm in Dresden before buying their current home in Whitefield.
“We fell in love with the place that we were at and we feel like we lucked out … It’s been a good life,” he said. “We just liked the idea of being close to the land. I mean, we always have been, sort of in that vein, outdoorsy folks,” he said.
Once in Whitefield, Johnson and Anderson established a commercial farm, Around the Well Farm, where they raise cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens and sell hay.
The couple welcomed their children in 2008 and 2011.
Johnson got involved with the Whitefield Fire Department about two years ago because he found that he had some time on his hands. He said practically the moment he joined, he began working alongside Cowles.
“When I walked in through the door, it was really, how can I best serve the town? And it became clear how short staffed we were in EMS services specifically,” he said.
In his new role, Johnson said he is looking forward to building on the current EMS program, which he credited Cowles with kick-starting.
“We’re showing a lot of growth. Already I’m coming into this with Julie having done a lot to kind of reinvigorate the program,” he said. “She has got several grants to recruit new members and then to retain them, so we have two folks that are just finishing up their testing and they’ll be on board with us and then there’s another four, I think, that’ll be testing and ready in the fall, so then we’d have a real department and people can take shifts.”
Johnson said he would like to work on paving a clearer path for community members to tap into resources they may need, such as home health services, as many call 911 because they aren’t sure what else to do.
“You know, 20% of our calls are true medical emergencies and that’s just the honest part about it, and that’s OK,” he said. “I’d rather people call and us tell them, ‘It sounds like you might need other services besides going to the hospital.’”
Johnson said he wants to have as many resources available to first responders as possible so they don’t have to leave patients empty handed.
“I want to have that continuum of care that’s a little bit different than just what happens if you call 911 and an ambulance picks you up and drops you to the hospital. To me, it’s neat because our program is different in that way,” Johnson said.
Implementing community paramedicine is a goal Johnson identified that he would like to achieve, as Whitefield is a rural town with a high population of elderly residents. Community paramedicine – a health care model that allows paramedics and EMTs to assist with public health and preventive services – can be an essential tool for areas that have high rates of chronic diseases but limited access to health care resources, according to cdc.gov.
“Usually community paramedicine is most worked through with the local hospital, and we do have a clinic in town, with the Sheepscot Valley Health Center … So, I think that there’s a place for that, there’s a possibility. Some of it is just having better resources to engage with folks,” he said.
Overall, Johnson stepped into this role because he wants to ensure the health and safety of Whitefield residents, he said.
“I don’t want to be a hero; it’s not really the way the job goes. You just do what you’re trained to do and make it happen,” he said. “We need to figure out how to help them … They’re our neighbors.”
Johnson has an EMT basic certification and a firefighter basic certification. When he’s not working on ways to improve the Whitefield EMS program, he is a self-employed mortgage inspector that is contracted by East Coast Property Services, of Kennebunk.
Outside of work, Johnson said he enjoys making pottery, plays guitar, and likes to travel.
To contact Johnson, call 458-2365 or email whitefieldems1@gmail.com.
