Waldoboro Fire Department Lt. William “Bill” Bragg reflects on his lengthy public service career in the Waldoboro fire station. Nearing 50 years as an active Waldoboro firefighter, Bragg has made a living combining private sector employment with stipend or paid municipal positions. (Sherwood Olin photo)
For almost his entire life, William “Bill” Bragg has made his living doing the jobs that needed to be done in and around his hometown of Waldoboro.
Bragg’s working career started early. As a kid growing up near Orffs Corner, he sought out lawns to mow and yards to pick up before he was a teenager. Decades later, Bragg, 70, is as busy as ever doing much the same kind of work. In addition to odd jobs and yard work, he currently manages two separate estates, making sure everything runs smoothly.
According to Bragg, hard work is a value his parents instilled in him. He was still in high school when he went to work for the Mobil oil station in town on Route 1, which is now where the Irving station is situated. There he worked on engines, fixed tires, performed oil changes, and did whatever else he was told to do, he said.
“I was raised, if you want something, you got to work for it,” he said. “You’re not going to sit around, do nothing, (and) expect somebody to pay you.”
In between his periods of self-employment, Bragg has worked as a mechanic and commercial truck inspector, assembled wire lobster traps, and held retail and sales positions for local NAPA and hardware stores.
Beginning in 1973 when he first joined for the fire department, Bragg has supplemented his income working for Waldoboro’s police, fire, and emergency medical services departments.
By his own account, over the years he contributed roughly 30 years to Waldoboro’s EMS department, another 30 years as a reserve police officer, and about 47 years as a Waldoboro firefighter. He also spent 22 years working as Waldoboro’s shellfish warden.
Bragg worked as a reserve for the entirety of his Waldoboro law enforcement career. Different from a part-time employee, a reserve officer is only scheduled as the need requires.
Bragg said he started out providing security to high school basketball games. Over the years his role in the department waxed and waned as needed, ranging from infrequent reserve shifts to contributing full-time hours in a pinch.
“I can’t remember now, when I did start,” he said. “I was doing basketball games. I started out just a reserve and then when they got down on people, I started working patrol.”
Bragg said he finished with Waldoboro Police and EMS about five years ago, citing the constantly changing rules and regulations for EMS work.
“Five years ago, I stopped everything, basically, except the fire department,” he said. “Well, EMS, I stopped. It just got too much, and they were changing rules and regulations all the time.”
Discussing how regulations impact modern firefighting, Bragg agreed safety was a primary concern, however, too many regulations can lead to complications, he added.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “When I started, it was grab your boots and coat and go. Now I guess you have to think of who you got with you, and whether they are certified and all this stuff.”
Currently almost every member of the Waldoboro Fire Department is certified for interior fire attack. Bragg credited current Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer for his effective administration of the department.
“I know all our guys … are good for interior attack,” Bragg said. “We work them through it. Paul does a good job getting them through.”
Except for a brief break for a couple years around 1980, Bragg has remained an active member of the fire department since he first signed up.
“I took a couple years off because I got tired of some of the personnel,” he said. “It was just a pain. Then I come back on, and I’ve been on ever since. It was enough of a break because some of the older fellows left. It was just one of those things.”
He currently serves as one of the department’s lieutenants and is looking forward to wrapping his career with a nice round number.
“I’m getting to the edge where I’m getting closer and closer to retirement,” he said. “I want to make 50, so I got three years to go. Something like that, depending on whose paperwork you look at. If I make 50, I’ll be happy.”
When he signed on, Bragg was 18 year old, fresh out of high school, and legendary Waldoboro Fire Chief Bob Maxcy was just entering the second decade of what be a 42-year tenure as fire chief.
“He was chief for years and years and years,” Bragg said. “He was a good, good chief.”
These days Bragg works for the county providing security at the Lincoln County Courthouse and working as a process server. As a process server, Bragg only deals with civil cases. In most cases, the serving party is easy to find. The party being served is often more difficult to find and more confrontational, Bragg said.
Occasionally, someone Bragg has served has called him at home to complain but Bragg said he doesn’t take such complaints personally.
“I just say, ‘Look, I’m just a paper boy’” he said.
As a child, Bragg attended Miller Middle School and A.D. Gray before graduating from Medomak Valley High School in 1973. At the time the Vietnam War was winding down. Bragg said he willing to serve in the war, but his father was opposed to the idea.
Ironically, Bragg’s father and all but one of his uncles served in the military. Earlier this year one uncle, Pfc. Roland Bragg was posthumously honored for his heroism during the Battle of the Bulge by having Fort Liberty in North Carolina renamed for him.
In recent years Bragg has stood twice for election to the Waldoboro Select Board and he is still interested in serving. He has seen the culture of Waldoboro change a great deal in his lifetime, even if the town does not look dramatically different, Bragg said.
“Not a whole lot as far as the landscaping and stuff, but businesses have come in, changed hands, and some have left,” Bragg said. “People have changed. They don’t seem to be quite as friendly as they used to be, but there again I wore a badge around how many years? That might have been another thing, but I never had any complaints that I know of.”
When he is not working or otherwise engaged, Bragg likes to go hunting or fishing, which he usually does in the Midcoast area. He does not care much for travel and has no desire to get on a plane, but he says with a smile, he knows where all the sweet fishing spots are locally.
“I don’t know what I really want to do,” he said. “To be honest with you, I will probably never retire completely, unless my wife (Andrea) does, but who knows.”
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