St. George Volunteer Firefighters & Ambulance Association
3 School Street, P.O. Box 249, Tenants Harbor, ME 04860 ~ Telephone: (207) 372.6122
St. George Volunteer Firefighters & Ambulance Association | 3 School Street P.O. Box 249 | Tenants Harbor, ME 04860
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History
Formation of the Association
The St. George Volunteer Fireman’s Association was formed on November 15, 1953. The first officers elected were: John Kulju, President; Alison Wilson Jr., Vice President; Arthur L. Ingersoll, Secretary and Treasurer. The minutes record: “Although several meetings prior to this date were held . . . it was at this meeting that organization was actually completed with officers, rules and regulations.”
The first Annual Meeting was held on April 8, 1954 and subsequently on each second Thursday of April. Highlights of the minutes of the meetings through 11/27/1957 can be viewed here.
The Fireman’s Association was incorporated on June 13, 1990 and changed its name to the present form.
Ladies Auxiliary
A Ladies Auxiliary was formed on February 9, 1956. Further research is required to determine when and why the auxiliary was disbanded. The auxiliary was active in fund raising over its history (for example, the May 1956 minutes record that the Auxiliary earned $26.00 from a cake sale benefiting the ambulance). The auxiliary also transported equipment and furnished food to volunteers at fires.
Ambulance Service History
The first ambulance was purchased for $100.00 on March 6, 1956. It was a 1942 Cadillac Meteor ambulance/hearse which required some additional fitting-out before taking on its tasks (e.g.: a “wheeled cot”).
The ambulance service began as a fully volunteer service entirely funded by community donations. Our first ambulance was purchased with funds raised by a house-to-house canvas by the Fireman’s Association. A total of $308.00 was raised in that effort. At the time the ambulance was purchased there were approximately 35 volunteers.
That first ambulance was replaced with a 1950 Cadillac on October 31, 1959. That vehicle was replaced in 1963 with a 1956 vehicle. That vehicle remained in service until 1970 and was replaced by a 1967 Pontiac.
In 1970 it was noted that a new state law required the ambulance have licensed attendants. 16 volunteers took a nine week course at Knox Hospital to earn the necessary licenses. An ambulance service in the Maine tradition of neighbors helping neighbors was well and truly underway.
The Ambulance Service remained a completely voluntary, unpaid service for many years. However, the complexities of modern life, the growing size of St. George and increasing State requirements finally compelled us to move to a partially paid service in 2011. We currently have 24 hour paramedic coverage, seven days a week. That paramedic is based in the Tenants Harbor Fire Station. The on-duty paramedic is supported by volunteer EMTs and Drivers who may be at the station or who may come from their homes.
While donations still make up the majority of the Association's budget, there is now an annual contribution from the town of St. George that enables us to maintain this level of paid service.
The Ambulance Service continues to be very closely supported by the Fire Service. It is not unusual to have volunteer fire personnel called out to provide lift assistance or to plow driveways or offer other help such as traffic control, emergency vehicular extrication, ice-water rescues, etc.
Our current ambulance Is a brand new Ford E350 that was delivered in August 2015.
H. Alvah Harris
Norman Martin
J. Henry Lowell
George Fay
Alfred Chadwick
Ernest Eaton, Jr.
Merrill Minzy, Jr.
Edward Davis
Wayne Hilt
Tim Polky
Mike Smith
1943 - 1946
1947
1947
1948 - 1958
1959 -1967
1968
1968 - 1969
1970 - 1973
1974 - 1979
1980 - 2017
2018 - present
Fire Chiefs
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Historical Documents
To stop the slideshow, hover over a photo.
With the entry of the United States into World War II late in 1941 the Civil Defense Service was formed. A primary concern of Civil Defense was fire protection in case of incendiary bombing. On March 9, 1942 the selectmen of the Town of St. George voted to expend $6,500.00 for the purchase of fire equipment for the town. A group of fire commissioners was selected under the leadership of Alfred R. Fuller. H. Alvah Harris was appointed fire chief. Prior to this time St. George had no firefighting equipment and no organized firefighting force.
On February 3, 1943 the first apparatus (a 500 gallon 1943 Mack) arrived in town. In the meantime the chief and volunteers had been trained by the Rockland Fire Department.
On March 15, 1943 a complete set of regulations based on model standards recommended by the National Fire Protection Association was read and adopted at the town’s Annual Meeting. The objective of the Fire Department was the “Prevention of fire and the protection of life and property within the limits of St. George.” The town further voted to pay volunteer firefighters at a rate of 50 cents/hour while on active duty.
The History of the Association begins with the formation of a volunteer fire department in 1942. Much later (in 1953) members of the department voted to form a Fireman's Association. The Association raised funds to purchase its first ambulance in 1956 and eventually changed its name to the current form.
Formation of the Fire Department
This page last updated 4/3/2020
