Fire Department · Combination
Gorham Fire Department
Gorham, ME · Cumberland County
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Department careers page ↗Gorham Fire & Rescue Department is the fire, rescue, and emergency medical services provider for the Town of Gorham, Maine, a role it fills through a network of six district stations covering the town's approximately 59 square miles. Three of those stations are shared with adjoining communities (Windham and Scarborough), reflecting a long history of mutual aid and cooperative coverage along the town's borders. The department delivers fire suppression, emergency medical response, fire prevention and public education, and technical rescue services to residents, visitors, and neighboring towns alike.
The department blends full-time staff with on-call, paid-per-call firefighters and rescue/EMS members organized into company structures at each station, with new members moving through a probationary period, in-house "Rookie School" fire training, and an EMT-Basic course before taking on full duties. Gorham has also run a student live-in program for more than a decade, housing local college students at its stations in exchange for responding to calls and pitching in on department functions - a pipeline that has helped send graduates on to careers as firefighters, paramedics, and police officers around Maine.
Beyond core fire and EMS response, Gorham Fire & Rescue maintains a number of specialty capabilities: a Fire Police function for traffic control at incidents, an auxiliary team providing rehab and support at incidents and community events, confined-space response, membership in the Presumpscot Valley Hazardous Materials Response Team, and members trained in high-angle rescue, swift-water rescue, wilderness rescue, and advanced vehicle extrication.
MissionOur mission will always remain: to protect and enhance the high quality of life of our residents, guests, and neighboring communities through the effective, safe, and efficient delivery of emergency and non-emergency services.
Gorham Fire & Rescue recruits both full-time staff and on-call (paid-per-call) firefighter and rescue/EMS members, with the department's own recruitment page directing applicants to the Town of Gorham's Human Resources employment listings for current openings.
Requirements
- Submit an application/resume to the Gorham Fire Department
- Complete an oral interview
- Pass a department pre-employment physical
- Hold a valid driver's license with a clean record and pass a criminal records check
- Complete a chain-of-command orientation and an initial 3-month probationary period, extending to a total 6-month probation with a full status review
Hiring process
- Apply through the Town of Gorham Human Resources employment page
- Interview and pre-employment physical
- Initial 3-month probationary training period on assigned apparatus
- Full 6-month probation review of duty status and operations ability
- Favorable review leads to in-house Rookie School (fire) or an EMT-Basic course (rescue/EMS)
Benefits
The Town covers pre-employment screening costs and issues gear to accepted candidates; on-call members earn fire/training pay based on training level and rescue pay based on licensure level, alongside required monthly duty hours, meetings, and weekly training.
New fire members complete the department's in-house Rookie School (about 200 hours over roughly 5 months); new EMS members complete an EMT-Basic course (about 120 hours over roughly 4 months).
What area does Gorham Fire & Rescue Department cover?
The department protects the Town of Gorham, Maine - about 59 square miles - from six district stations, three of which are shared with the neighboring towns of Windham and Scarborough.
What is the mission of Gorham Fire & Rescue?
Its stated mission is to protect and enhance the high quality of life of residents, guests, and neighboring communities through the effective, safe, and efficient delivery of emergency and non-emergency services.
How do I become a firefighter or EMT with Gorham Fire & Rescue?
Applicants submit an application to the department, complete an interview and pre-employment physical, and serve a probationary period before completing the department's in-house Rookie School (fire) or an EMT-Basic course (rescue/EMS). Current openings are posted on the Town of Gorham's Human Resources employment page.
Does Gorham Fire & Rescue offer a student live-in program?
Yes. For more than a decade, local college students have been given room and board at department stations in exchange for responding to calls and participating in trainings and functions, with many going on to careers as firefighters, paramedics, or police officers.
What specialty response capabilities does the department maintain?
Gorham Fire & Rescue provides Fire Police traffic control, an auxiliary support team, confined-space response, hazardous materials response as part of the Presumpscot Valley Hazardous Materials Response Team, and members trained in high-angle, swift-water, and wilderness rescue and advanced extrication.