Local Agencies Work Together to Support Remote Island

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AUGUSTA, ME (07/10/2014)(readMedia)-- On Tuesday, July 8 lobstermen near Criehaven Island called 911 to report a fire in one of the many wooded areas of the island. The 300-acre island has one fresh-water well, located on the opposite side of the island.

The 911 dispatcher notified the Maine Forest Service and Knox County Emergency Management Agency. Following a request for air support, the Maine Army National Guard arrives on scene to transport both the Forest Service personnel and a 400 gallon mobile water trailer to the island to assist in the fire suppression.

Luckily, the fire on Tuesday was not real. The training scenario was set up by the Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Knox County EMA, the intent was to rehearse moving people to the island in the event of an emergency on the sparsely populated island.

The water trailer was carried to the remote island using sling-load equipment provided by the Maine Army National Guard, which is the only resource in the state with those capabilities. It will remain on the island for the residents to use for future fire suppression needs.

Island residents had requested firefighting equipment for Criehaven. Technically an unorganized township of Maine, it falls under Knox County for certain services. There are 45 seasonal residents, and a few who tough it out year-round, according to Ray Sisk, Director for Knox County EMA.

Jeff Jones, a lobsterman who has lived on the island most of his life, said that the island, which has no actual roads, just paths for four-wheelers and utility vehicles, has no police presence or firefighting capabilities.

"The last two fires we had, we put out with bucket brigades," he said. "That's guys running up with buckets of water trying to put out the fire. The second time, we were having a meeting at a building next door in the harbor, and it was one of the luckiest things I have ever seen. One of us was sitting on the porch and saw the flames. All of us fisherman were at the meeting so we all grabbed buckets and started putting it out. I had forgotten about my requests to the state for firefighting equipment, but that fire started the talks again."

Jones said that the EMA and Forest service had previously brought over a pump and some water hose.

"With this tank, we will have a water source that anyone on the island can come up, turn a valve, and we will be in business," he said. "It will be good for this side of the island, we don't even have a well here, we had nothing to fight a fire with, nothing."

Sisk said that the exercise, which included participants from the Maine Forest Service, Knox County EMA, Knox County Sheriff's Dept, Waldo County EMA, Hancock County EMA, MEMA, Knox Regional Communications Center, and the Maine Army National Guard, went very well.

"Exercises like this give our agencies the opportunities to work together to meet challenges of response to a remote location," he said. "All exercise objectives were met and we had no major surprises which could not be adequately addressed. This will be a great asset to the people of Criehaven."

Jones agreed. Most of the island's population came out to see the Blackhawks that flew in the crews and the water tank.

"You can't move to an island to be alone," he said. "Regardless of what you think, everyone on an island is dependent on everyone else. We work as a team, just like all the agencies that came together to provide this support to us."

The nine National Guard soldiers that served as the crew for the two Blackhawks also benefited from additional training in carrying heavy equipment with the helicopter, preparation for overwater operations, and interaction with state and local agencies, according to Maj. Nathan Arnold, commander of Charlie Company, 1/126th Aviation Regiment.