Interim Police and Fire Chiefs share vision for their Depts

Andy grew up in East Millinocket ME and has been in public enforcement for almost 20 years. He has degrees in para-medicine and nursing, with experience up and down the east coast.  He is the former Fire and Rescue Chief of Millinocket ME and former Deputy Fire Chief of Kennebunk ME.

Andy’s philosophy is that change is inevitable.  The key is to drive positive change.  He shared with us that Westbrook Fire Department is going through positive change right how.  They have learned from past mistakes and are moving forward.  The department now has 32 full time employees and many part time and per diem employees to supplement as needed. His objective is to increase visibility in the community and provide top notch service to Westbrook.

His current focus is on outreach in the community in two key areas:

• CPR Training – more people should have CPR training to help save lives
• Community para-medicine program – to delay or prevent unnecessary transport (ambulance)

Measures of success of this outreach will be fewer fires and more people who have had cardiac arrests walking out of the hospital.

Janine shared some of her background and her philosophy on policing.  A Portland ME native, she is the youngest of six kids, a Portland High and SMVTI (now SMCC) grad, and a 29 year veteran of the Portland Police Department, retiring as a Lieutenant this year. She felt she has learned best from “hands on” training over the years.

She graduated from the FBI Command Leadership School in 2010, and served her community in several roles throughout her career: as a patrol officer, an evidence technician, a patrol supervisor, a traffic unit supervisor, commander of the tactical enforcement unit, and supervisor of support services. In 1996, she was promoted to sergeant, becoming the department’s first female supervisor, and promoted to lieutenant in 2001. She had experience at the Airport and the intermodal facility on the water front.  Her last assignment in Portland was in Community Policing. She believes police cannot protect the community alone; they must work with the community.

Janine strongly believes that our actions prove who we are, and her actions certainly show that Westbrook is lucky to have her. According to the Portland Sun she has  worked “with the Community Partnerships for the Protection of Children, Portland Defending Children, the SEALS Fit Youth Leadership Program, the Positive Re-entry Program, the anti-graffiti initiative and leads the department’s Color Guard; and off duty, she’s involved with the Sgt. Johnsey/Sgt. Betters Memorial Benefit Ride, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Ronald McDonald House, the Make A Wish Foundation, Camp Sunshine, Wreaths Across America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars”.

Before coming to Westbrook, she knew many people within the department from her work in Portland and in the greater Portland community.