In the public eye: Devotion to community inspires Windham Fire Rescue Call Captain

Editor’s Note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

Each shift that a firefighter works is a testament to selfless sacrifice and for Windham Fire Rescue Call Company Captain Adam Rogers that statement rings true.

Windham Fire Rescue Call Captain
Adam Rogers has worked for the
department for 18 years and he
oversees bringing live-in fire
service students to Windham from
Southern Maine Community College.
He says that helping students achieve
their dreams of becoming career 
firefighters is one of the best things
about his job. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Besides serving as Call Company Captain, Rogers is also the department’s Paramedic Student live-in coordinator among his many duties, he’s responsible for the East Windham and North Windham fire stations and apparatus.

“I assist in making sure they are kept up, and that any maintenance is scheduled with buildings and grounds,” Rigers said. “I help make sure apparatus is in good working order, and that repairs to apparatus or equipment is followed up on. I assist with budget planning in the way of needs assessments for each apparatus and station. I also participate in emergency response in any number of capacities including command, apparatus operation, or manpower for the situation at hand.”

As a paramedic, Rogers provides advanced level care to patients whether responding from home as a call company member or working a per-diem shift.

“As student live in coordinator, I participate in bringing our live-in students to Windham, this includes recruitment, and participation in the annual live-in draft,” he said. “Once here, I ensure that the students have everything they need, including gear, certifications, training, or whatever else they might need. I collaborate with Southern Maine Community College and the students to ensure that they are passing their classes, and meeting requirements of the live-in program.

Rogers has been with Windham Fire Rescue for 18 years and says helping students achieve their dreams of becoming career firefighters is one of the best things about his job.

“Helping my community, and neighbors when they need help is also rewarding,” he said.

According to Rogers, the most challenging aspect of his work is maintaining a work/home balance.

“There are hundreds of hours needed to keep up with certifications, and many more hours of training to keep up with new/ best practice techniques weather for fire or EMS,” he said. “Most of these hours are in addition to the hours spent on shift. Balancing that with running to hockey games, baseball games, lacrosse games, football games, chamber singer performances, musicals, and getting kids to all the practices for said activities as well as keeping time for God, and my wife, that is a challenge. Another challenging part is sitting with a family when one of their loved ones has just passed, or some other traumatic event has just occurred. We have tons of training for how to mitigate situations, or provide medical care, but our training on how to help people in times of grief is limited.”

Originally from Portland, Rogers graduated from Westbrook High School in 2001 and then attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey studying music education, before deciding that was not the path for him. Currently he is taking classes through Columbia Southern University online with just five classes remaining toward earning an associate’s degree in fire science.

He always had an interest in firefighting going back to his childhood when he would visit the Portland fire stations and take any chance that he had to see their trucks up close.

“In the early 2000s having recently moved to Windham, there was a horrific accident at the corner of Falmouth Road and Gray Road. Being that I live within a few hundred feet of the intersection, I was the first one there,” Rogers said. “I stayed with a young lady, badly injured in the accident whose mom died in the accident and whose brother was badly injured as well. I held her hand, and talked to her while the firemen and paramedics worked to get her and her brother out. After the incident, one of the firemen, the late Rick Duncanson, said I had done well, and I should apply to the department. I wanted so badly to be able to do more to help, so that is what I did.”

Over the years, Rogers has experienced many memorable moments during his career but cites a few as standing out to him.

“I have been a part of the team that has delivered two babies in our ambulances, most recently just last week,” he said. “Hearing a newborn baby’s cry is amazing.” <