During the Windham Town Council meeting on Jan. 27, Windham Fire-Rescue Chief Brent Libby gave councilors an overview of the town’s emergency response system and examined department statistics from 2025.
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| Windham Fire Rescue Chief Brent Libby gave town councilors an overview of the town's emergency response system and examined department statistics from 2025 during the Windham Town Council meeting on Jan. 27. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE |
“The most common calls were for general weakness, followed by respiratory issues such as shortness of breath and then cardiac concerns,” Libby said.
He reported that the average turnout time for firefighters and paramedics was 1 minute and 46 seconds and the average response time for crews was 8 minutes and 1 second. In 52.1 percent of calls for help, first responders arrived within 6 minutes.
The average patient age that first responders was 70 to 79 years old, Libby said.
According to Libby, Windham Fire-rescue crews spent a total of 9,415 hours in training sessions during 2025 and 3,446 classes.
Windham firefighters responded to 59 structure fires, alongside vehicle and outdoor fires during the year.
Crews from Windham also provided 203 mutual aid responses and asked for help from other nearby municipalities 72 times.
During 2025, Windham Fire-Rescue also performed fire hydrant coverage analysis and tanker‑service considerations for rural lake areas, Libby told councilors.
Friday was the day of the week with the most calls for assistance received in Windham in 2025 with 685, followed by Thursday with 653 calls and Monday with 624 calls.
Of the total calls that Windham Fire-Rescue responded to, Libby said that 315 were for alarms, 243 for severe weather, 590 were good intent calls and 269 were for motor vehicle accidents.
He also provided an overview for the council about Windham’s NIMS/Incident Command System 402 framework and explained how the town organizes emergency response during large‑scale incidents through the Incident Command System (ICS).
Libby said that the Windham Fire-Rescue Department continues operating as a combination system of full‑time, per‑diem, and paid‑on‑call members.
“Our team provides the fire and emergency medical services to the Town of Windham using a combination department,” Libby said.
That includes 20 Call Company members of which 17 Call Company members also work per-diem. Crews include a total of 22 Per-diem Firefighter-EMT's from out of town.
The Windham Fire-Rescue team has nine Call Company Fire-Police for Traffic Control; seven live-in college students; four full-time Firefighter-Paramedics; 12 full-time Firefighter-EMT's (basic/advanced).
The leadership team for the Fire-Rescue Department includes four full-time Shift Captains; three Deputy Chief's consisting of one Call Company Deputy Chief and two full-time Deputy Chiefs; one full-time Fire-Rescue Administrative Coordinator; and Libby, who serves as a full-time Fire-Rescue Chief.
Fire-Rescue services in Windham are provided through a combination of full time, part time/per-diem, and on-call employees to give quality EMS and fire protection to the community. The majority of Windham Fire-Rescue members are cross-trained in both firefighting and EMS services.
Libby said Windham operates fire stations in North Windham on Roosevelt Trial, on Falmouth Road in East Windham, and the Central Station at the Windham Public Safety Building on Gray Road. Libby told the council that the South Windham Fire Station on Maine Street is a unique shared operation with the Town of Gorham since the 1940s.
“That facility responds to both Windham and Gorham,” Libby said “We share that apparatus. The ladder truck that is there both towns pay 50-50 for. So it’s a really cool thing to have and has worked really well for many years. The personnel are members of both departments.<
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