New Gloucester Fire Rescue honored its own on Monday night with a pinning ceremony and presentation of black shields, as family, friends and community members looked on. The event, held at the fire station, celebrated changes in rank for five officers and the transition to full-fledged firefighter for four newer members.
The November 13 ceremony combined formal recognition and plenty of heart. Proud family members helped do the honors, pinning new badges to the officers’ uniforms. Tributes combined humor and personal warmth with deep professional respect.
Top among those honored was Chief Craig Bouchard, promoted from Deputy Chief to Chief after serving as interim chief. Referencing her decades in the department, EMS Deputy Chief Mary Rich put Bouchard in context as “an incredible Chief” who “has really turned this department around and brought morale up.”
Bouchard is a “hands-on Chief,” not the type to sit at his desk, Rich added. After a recent fire, he was “out in the bay working with everybody, rolling up hoses and filling tanks.” Rich summed up: “I’m very proud to work beside him.”
After daughters Izzy and Kenadi pinned the Chief’s badge, Bouchard spoke. He said he’s committed to working hard for the community and the department. “I truly care about every single person in this room, every single person who wears this shirt and every single person who lives in this community.”
Bouchard described the moment as the pinnacle of his career and the culmination of a dream that began when he was “an eight-year-old child sitting on a sidewalk watching a mill burn, in 1988 in Lisbon Falls.”
The Chief then turned the focus to the department, to “the people who really make me shine.”
Four officers were recognized, each commended by Bouchard for their professionalism, skill and singular contributions, such as depth of training, community outreach initiative, and steadfast dedication and leadership:
• Hale Fitzgerald, promoted from Captain to Deputy Chief of Operations
• Chris Gill, promoted from Lieutenant to Captain
• Lee Johnson, promoted from Firefighter to Lieutenant
• Nick Hegarty, promoted from Firefighter to Lieutenant
Addressing his fellow officers, Bouchard said that those in the fire service often speak of “being there for ‘them,’” a statement that refers to the public. “But officers, your ‘them’ just got bigger,” he said. “Your ‘them’ now includes the 40-plus members of this department. We owe it to them to be at the top of our game each day we show up at this station,” Bouchard said. “We need to give 100 percent, and I know you guys will do that.”
Receiving black shields signifying their new status as full-fledged firefighters were Isaac Haskins, Ella Boucher, Harrison Ruhlin and Conor Davis. Bouchard shared their personal backgrounds and praised the hard work and discipline that have brought them to this work and this place.
Congratulatory hugs, handshakes and photos followed. Then the newly honored officers and members headed out to the bay to offer impromptu tours of the station, more moments of community-building on a celebratory night.
— Joanne Cole
