Meet the new faces of Kennebunk Fire Rescue: Here's how department was able to boost staff

KENNEBUNK, Maine — Last year at this time, Kennebunk Fire Rescue operated with no more than four first responders per shift, an ongoing scenario that led to overtime and burnout for the staff.

What a difference a year makes. Thanks to several new, full-time hires, Kennebunk Fire Rescue is operating with more first-responders per shift, putting the department ever closer to its goal of being fully staffed with seven, according to Fire Chief Justin Cooper.

What explains the difference? Voters.

In November of 2022, voters approved a proposed change in the retirement plan for eligible employees in the town’s fire and police departments. As a result, fire and police employees are now eligible to retire, with half pay, after 20 years of service.

Before the vote last fall, the required time of service had been 25 years, putting Kennebunk out of step with all of its surrounding communities, with the exception of Wells. Such a scenario made it difficult for the community to recruit and retain first responders.

“We needed to improve our retirement plan, as well as bring our pay up to be more competitive with the marketplace surrounding us,” Cooper said.

And with the voters’ blessing, Kennebunk Fire Rescue did just that. Cooper filled seven full-time positions earlier this month when it hired a new deputy chief, Colin Ayer, and six firefighter EMTs: Nathaniel Jewett, Denise Nessman, Matthew Dubois, Alex Belanger, Steven Nasta and Jamie Mouzas.

Ayer started as deputy chief on Oct. 9. Belanger and Nasta officially began at the department on Oct. 17, and Jamie Mouzas followed on Oct. 18. Jewett, Nessman and Dubois had their first day on the job on Oct. 19.

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Meet Kennebunk's new firefighters

Jewett, Nessman, Ayer and Dubois all worked the same shift on Oct. 19 and sat in the department’s conference area for an interview, as Cooper’s dog, Lily, kept everyone company.

Jewett said he is happy to follow in the footsteps of his family to become a full-time member of Kennebunk Fire Rescue after spending three years as a part-timer. He now works alongside three other family members at the department.

“I grew up in this community,” he said. “I’d like to help out.”

Nessman has been a firefighter for more than 30 years, with much of that time in Emergency Medical Services. She started at the department in Falmouth and spent the bulk of her career in her hometown of Buxton.

In Buxton, Nessman comprised half the two-person staff at the fire department. That was tough, she said, but she and her colleague did well with what they had. A chance to join a larger staff and be a part of a team is what attracted Nessman to her new Kennebunk position.

“I’m excited to have more people around,” she said. “I’m interested to learn a lot more.”

Ayer served in the fire department in Portland for 16 years, reaching the rank of captain before accepting the deputy chief post in Kennebunk. His new post brings his career full circle, as he started serving with Kennebunk Fire Rescue as a teenager.

Taking a “leap of faith,” Ayer applied for the deputy chief position because he wanted to bring all he had learned during his career in Portland and share it with his hometown Fire Department.

“My goal is ... to help this department and help the people that work here to achieve what their goals are, and be sure that we set up a good strategic plan for the town moving forward,” he said.

Dubois started at Kennebunk Fire Rescue as a live-in student six years ago and spent the past year serving with Standish Fire and Rescue. When he learned of the full-time position back in Kennebunk, he knew he had to apply for it.

“This is where I wanted to build my career,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of changes and growth that are happening here, especially with having a new deputy chief. I’m excited to be part of that change.”

In an email sent after the interviews with their colleagues, Nasta, Mouzas and Belanger also introduced themselves.

Nasta began his career serving in communities in Massachusetts and moved to Maine to join the Portland Fire Department in 2015. He became a paramedic in 2017.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity,” Nasta said. “I’ve been with the fire service for 11 years.”

Mouzas said he has been in the fire service for eight years, the last two of which he spent with the Biddeford Fire Department. In addition to his new, full-time post in Kennebunk, he also has another job that keeps him busy.

“I also work with Goodwin Mills Fire Rescue as a call force and per diem lieutenant,” he said.

Belanger is a 2020 graduate of Sanford High School, where he completed the EMS and Fire Science program. He started his career in firefighting as a call force at Alfred Fire and Rescue in 2019 and eventually worked per diem in both Alfred and Waterboro.

“I’m very excited to start working at the Kennebunk Fire Department,” he said.

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Kennebunk Fire Rescue ready to answer the call

The increased staff puts Kennebunk Fire Rescue in a stronger position, according to Cooper. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, the public safety field experienced a downturn in the number of volunteers and per-diem workers. The improved retirement plan, adjusted pay, and strong leadership and direction have made a difference, Cooper said.

“All of those things, together, have allowed us to do a good job of recruiting and, hopefully, overall, with our retention,” Cooper said.

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The Kennebunk Police Department also is seeking to hire new full-time officers.

The new full-time hires have helped Kennebunk Fire Rescue move away from the per-diem model of staffing, which had been proving unsustainable, Cooper said.

“Fundamentally, this allows us to increase our staffing levels 365 days a year, 24 hours a day,” Cooper said.

And that makes for a stronger team and, Cooper added, improved responses to emergencies in the community. Kennebunk Fire Rescue already has seen positive results from recent developments, he added.

“The knowledge, skills, and abilities that all these members are possessing from working together, training together, building their teamwork and building their camaraderie is pretty exceptional,” Cooper said. “That’s just going to continue.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk Fire Rescue has new deputy chief, full-time firefighters