Kenny Fickett , Gorham’s fire chief has lived in Gorham all his life. He joined the Fire Department, 48 years ago at age 17 and started driving fire trucks his senior year in high school. In 2001, he was appointed the full-time deputy chief and 20 years later, in 2021, he became Gorham’s full-time Fire Chief.
Maine’s Emergency Services program contracted with the Town of Gorham to be one of three locations in Cumberland County to spearhead a program to get first responders vaccinated against COVID-19 and Fickett agreed to oversee the program. The Town was paid $16.38 per shot. Payment for a second shot was $28.00. Fickett saw this as an opportunity to increase the number of people vaccinated, hoping they would then be safe from COVID-19.
Photo credit: Roger MarchandAfter all Fire and Rescue Department members were vaccinated, Fickett moved on to offer vaccinations to the public. From December 2020-March 2021, more than 2400 shots were provided to the general public. But getting vaccines was difficult as they often were sent to more populous areas. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) associated with the Fire Department gave the shots and did the extensive paperwork involved to receive reimbursement. All of this work went on in the middle of the pandemic when many people were out with COVID. To date the Town is still owed approximately $30,000 for the work Fickett and his staff did to get people vaccinated.
Fickett remembers many of the fires that have occurred during his years with the Fire Department:
In 1975 the North Gorham Library burned, losing the roof and with books falling on firefighters as they fought the blaze.
A fire on Rust Farm killed 90 cows with the Fire Department there for 30 hours pumping water on the fire.
A man living on Fort Hill Road, where Gordon Farms is now located, died in front of his wood stove as his house burned down.
In March, 2010, a fire at 8 Newell Street in the Little Falls area at the intersection of routes 202 and 237 at the home of Ron and Darlene Meserve could be seen from as far away as the USM campus. The Fire Department received permission from Central Maine Power to “dump the grid” shutting down power to approximately 5,000 homes in the area for forty minutes so firefighters could raise ladders to the upper stories of the house and barn, both old buildings which were fully engaged by fire.
In 2016, a fire on College Avenue which destroyed an historic old house was believed to be started by steel wool and batteries rubbing together in the trash. The house has been rebuilt and now has eight apartment units.
On August 9, 2022, a fire started in an electrical panel in the front of a barn on Flaggy Meadow Road. Only six cows were lost as all the others were outside at the time of the fire. The Fire Department was able to save two houses, the garage, silos and the milking room. The remaining cows were sent to another dairy farm.