Paramount Fire Protection

Photo By Airman Erick Green | U.S. Air National Guard Technical Sgt. Tony Melanson, a firefighter at the 101st Air Refueling Wing, poses for a photo Aug. 11, 2020 at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Erick Green)  

BANGOR , ME, UNITED STATES

08.11.2020

Story by Airman Erick Green 

101st Air Refueling Wing

BANGOR AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Me. (Aug. 11, 2020) – The 101st has dedicated airmen who will see the mission through no matter how many hours they have to work in order to do so. This is very true for our firefighters, who work a rigorous schedule of 24-hour shifts where they are constantly met with challenges and need every hour in order to meet their mission requirements.
“For 24 hours on the job you basically just have to take every hour and make the most of it,” said Technical Sgt. Tony Melanson, a firefighter for the 101st Air Refueling Wing. “We’ll normally start out by working on the trucks, going through the equipment, and then clean up and work around the station while still staying prepared for whenever we may need to leave for a call.”
Throughout these 24 hour shifts it may seem hard to find that motivation, but for the firefighters it's quite easy for them to stay motivated as there is plenty to do around the fire station throughout their shift.
“If we aren’t working on keeping up on our equipment or making sure our fire station is organized, then we are working on classes and training that we constantly need to keep up on,” Melanson said. “There is a lot of training and classes for us to keep up on here, and for the younger airmen they can also work on trying to study for their upgrade training as well.”
Throughout the long shifts at the fire station, the firefighters here like to spend some of their downtime together and get to know each other more. This group of firefighters are a tight-knit group that are more than just coworkers.
“A lot of us like to make the most of our time and work out, play sports, or even sit down as a group and have dinner together,” Melanson said. “We are very much like a family here and to have that time to bond together really helps us, especially with our team dynamic when we’re out there putting out fires. To have that connection to one another and to trust them in a job like this is priceless, and it definitely helps to know that you not only have a coworker with you in those situations, but a friend as well.”
Having comradery between the firefighters at the 101st is crucial because they play a major role here on base. Even though they are enlisted in the military, throughout the week our firefighters are considered state employees with the Department of Veterans and Emergency Management. They also work with the Bangor Fire Department if there is ever a major fire either on base or the surrounding area. The members of the fire department are also first responders to any major emergency on base. Through the long hours and the difficulty it takes to constantly be ready to go toe-to-toe with fires and other emergencies, our fire fighting MAINEiacs are the epitome of service before self.

(U.S. Air National Guard Story by Airman 1st Class Erick Green)

• Date Taken: 08.11.2020
• Date Posted: 08.12.2020 09:34
• Story ID: 375760
• Location: BANGOR , ME, US