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2022 Fire & Rescue Annual Report

This year has been another busy year for Belgrade Fire & Rescue. Our department had 517 total calls for service. The calls have increased since 2021. We had 468 calls last year.  The fire department and Belgrade community lost two previous fire chiefs this year.  Fire Chief Skip Hammond served as an Assistant fire chief from 1954-1963 then went on to be the Fire Chief from 1964-1986.  Fire Chief Richard “Rick” Damren started serving on the department in 1970 and was on our ranks until his passing in 2022.  Rick served as the North Belgrade Assistant Chief from 1979-1986 and went on to serve as fire chief from 1987-2000.  Both men were dedicated to the Belgrade Community and will be greatly missed. Our sympathies go out to their friends and families. 

Belgrade is pleased to announce that we have been awarded several grants this year.  We received the federal assistance to firefighters grant to purchase 17 new S.C.B.A. air packs that will be replacing aging air packs on our trucks. This was an award of over $100,000.00 that will not impact Belgrade taxpayers.  We were also part of a regional communications grant that is updating numerous portable radios and mobile radios with advanced technology to better prepare us for the future and help us reliably communicate to area departments and resources.  Finally, we are being awarded the forestry grant this year from the state of Maine forest service that is updating our forestry firefighter equipment so we can be more prepared to fight forest fires in rural areas. Please be aware, during  the summer, we continue to have forest fires because of the dry conditions so plan accordingly. Continue to obtain burning permits online at www.wardensreport.com.  Never burn without a permit.  Do not leave fires unattended.  Always fully extinguish fires.

For our annual recognition dinner, we gathered at the Sunset Grill.  We want to thank the Sunset Grill for hosting this event. Additionally, we want to thank Hammond Lumber Company for covering the cost of this event once again. Their generosity is greatly appreciated. At the award ceremony, we recognized our firefighter and rescue member of the year. These were awarded to Assistant Chief Bruce Galouch and Lieutenant Steve Smith.  Both members showed dedication to the department and community. We also presented an award to a retired Rescue Chief. Advanced E.M.T.  Lisa Day retired from the service in 2022 after serving Belgrade Rescue for 30 years. We applaud her for her dedication to the department and community. To conclude, we recognized all our members for the number of years they have served. Thank you all for your continued service. The years of service awards presented were:

5 years

  • Mike Merrow
  • Randy Marshall Sr.
  • Tom Daniels
  • Gary Foss

10 years

  • Danielle Bedard
  • Michaelyn Smith
  • Steve Smith
  • Wesley Day

15 years

  • Conrad Shaw
  • James Reardon
  • Kate Damren
  • Tim Pieh
  • Tom Nadeau

20 Years

  • Doug Sawyer

25 years

  • Dan Newman
  • Jeremy Damren
  • Scott Damren
  • Travis Burton

30 Years

  • Bill Hayes
  • Gene Marshall

35 Years

  • Bruce Galouch
  • Dan Mackenzie

40 Years

  • Jeff Stevens
  • Mark Day

45 Years

  • Phil Sprague

50 Years

  • Edward Ketch Jr.

70 Years

  • William “Bill”Pulsifer

We want to thank all the local businesses for their support by allowing members to respond to calls when necessary.  We also want to thank the town of Belgrade for their continued support. Wishing Belgrade, a safe and healthy 2023. 

Sincerely

Dan Mackenzie Fire Chief

Bill Pulsifer Deputy Chief

Travis Burton Rescue Assistant Chief  

Scott Damren Assistant Chief

Bruce Galouch Assistant Chief

Ed Ketch Assistant Chief