In the public eye: Compassion, expertise and leadership essential qualities of Windham Fire/Rescue captain

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

By Ed Pierce

They say that firefighters save more than homes, they give everything they have to save hearts, memories, and dreams of individuals and it’s a great description of how Gabriel Cummings approaches his job every day that he shows up to work.

Gabriel Cummings is a captain for the Windham Fire/Rescue
Department and has been with the department for five years.
In his position, he manages and supervises a duty crew of
eight firefighters working 24- to 48-hour shifts and provides
incident com man for structure and wildland fires and
oversees emergency response tasks such as fire safety, fire
suppression, search and rescue and emergency treatment
and transport. SUBMITTED PHOTO 

Cummings, a full-time captain with Windham Fire/Rescue has been with the department for five years and says he welcomes balancing the demands of a rising call volume, fire prevention, and training with a sense of caring about the community.

“Solving problems with positive outcomes, from the smallest to the largest incidents is the best thing about what I do,” he said.

Among his specific duties and responsibilities for Windham Fire/Rescue, Cummings manages and supervises a duty crew of eight firefighter/paramedics for 24- to 48-hour periods. He also provides Incident Command for Structure and Wildland fires, Motor Vehicle Collisions, Special Operations and supervision of the department’s emergency response tasks including accountability, safety, suppression, ventilation, forcible entry, search and rescue, overhaul, and emergency medical treatment and transport.

He is expected to run routine calls and for large-scale incidents to take command of initial operations until they are resolved or command is taken over by a fire chief. He enforces department policies and offers daily training for all members on and off shift in both emergency medical services and firefighting. Cummings also works as a paramedic assisting the frontline ambulances and takes on rescue calls that require a paramedic if all other paramedics are being used for other emergency situations.

He says the biggest misconception people may have about his work is that the public is “bothering” the fire department when they call for seemingly minor problems such as beeping smoke detectors, odors or not feeling quite right.

“We would always rather respond to help verify that there is no larger problem or condition, or find that everything is ok, than have someone become sicker or an incident get larger,” Cummings said.

Originally from Vermont, Cummings attended Southern Maine Community College and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in paramedicine in 2014.

Before joining Windham Fire/Rescue, he served with Vermont Urban Search and Rescue Task Force One, was a Medical Team Manager and Rescue Swimmer, and worked as a full-time firefighter/paramedic for the City of South Burlington’s Fire Department. While working for that fire department in 2018, he was deployed to North Carolina for rescue efforts during Hurricane Florence.

Cummings is a perfect choice for his role as a captain with Windham Fire/Rescue and he manages teams using a combination of technical expertise, compassion, and effective communication. He’s able to make quick decisions under pressure and can assess dangerous situations and make informed decisions quickly, with the safety of his team and the community always at the forefront.

His experience allows him to convey complex information in a way that is easily understood and his technical expertise with firefighting equipment, firefighting and emergency management help Cummings make informed decisions that keep his teams safe and ensure the best possible outcomes for the community.

According to Cummings, he learned a lot about leadership from working closely with the late Windham Deputy Fire Chief John Kooistra.

“The lessons he taught me about exercising leadership through compassion will stick with me for the rest of my career,” he said. 

He said that something the public may not know about his job is how seriously firefighters take their work.

“Most people picture firefighters primarily fighting fires, but a more subtle part of the job is providing compassion, reassurance, and high-quality service during someone's worst day,” Cummings said. “Emotional responsibility is an important part of the profession that often goes unnoticed.”

His most memorable moment so far in working for Windham Fire/Rescue was when Cummings had to deliver two healthy babies on board Windham Fire Department ambulances earlier this year.

“It is always memorable to be involved in positive patient encounters such as those,” he said.

Cummings says his family is proud of his work with Windham Fire/Rescue. “They are very supportive, and enjoy the strong community built within and around the department,” he said. <