When the time to perform has arrived, the time to prepare has passed.

Castine, Maine is a town of just over 1,000 residents in the coastal region of Maine. The town is serviced by its volunteer fire department including Captain Lisa Burton. Captain Burton was first recruited to the fire service by a friend who asked her to work for Castine’s Fire Rescue Department as a dispatcher. As someone who knew most of the town’s citizens, she was perfect for the job.

However, she was destined from the beginning to be a firefighter. On her first visit to the fire department, Lisa was offered the opportunity to drive the fire truck. Shortly thereafter, she attended fire academy and never looked back.

Lisa began with her AVOC certification so she could operate the rescue truck. Then, after not being able to help while someone suffered a potential heart attack, she decided to get her Emergency Medical Responder certification.

Today, she is one of four captains and she remains on-call 24/7 for the Castine Fire Rescue Department (CFRD).

Safety is a priority for Captain Burton. She’s not referring to the kind of safety that means you can’t do anything. She’s talking about the importance of understanding how we can make firefighting safer while you carry out your duties to the best of your ability. And one way to understand this better is by sharing information.

“From physical safety to mental health, sharing information can help us understand that we’re all in this together.”

Lisa was teaching a fire training course with a group of trainees ranging from young to old. When they stopped for a lunch break, Lisa offered her students cleaning wipes so they could decontaminate their hands before eating. One of the older trainees scoffed at the thought of needing a wipe before eating. Each of the younger trainees graciously accepted Lisa’s offer and cleaned their hands before eating.

The older trainee asked one of the younger guys, “Why do you need to use a cleaning wipe before eating?” The young guy replied, “Because cancer sucks.” After that, the older gentleman took a cleaning wipe from Lisa and then proceeded to eat his lunch.

The fire service is evolving. We are now dealing with issues that rarely used to be mentioned. This is critical to making significant improvements in firefighter health and safety. Talk with others and always keep an open mind.

When the time to perform has arrived, the time to prepare has passed.

Captain Burton credits this phrase with much of her success as a firefighter. She was first introduced to the saying during her county fire academy as it was the phrase her cohort chose to put on their t-shirts.

“When it’s the middle of a winter night and you have to take care of someone in an emergency situation, you revert to your level of training. While you have the time, train and raise your bar,” Captain Burton knows the importance of preparing ahead of time.

In addition to an emphasis on training, Captain Burton wants you to know how important it is to treat people well. Your patients expect excellent care, but it doesn’t stop there. You can take it a step further by treating them with respect.

A small act of kindness goes a very long way.

Meet Charlotte (right). She is a potential future firefighter and Captain Burton’s prodigy.

In the spring of every school year, students at the elementary school in Castine, ME take two weeks off from classes to conduct an independent study. Each student chooses a profession that they want to learn more about and they shadow a professional in that field. Charlotte chose firefighting and her mentor, Captain Burton.

Charlotte is beginning high school this fall and she has hopes to be a firefighter just like Captain Burton one day.

Captain Burton emphasized the importance of mentoring in the fire service, especially for young women who want to become firefighters.

The mentoring that Captain Burton provided Charlotte during those two weeks undoubtedly had a significant impact on Charlotte’s future; however, the impact didn’t stop there.

“Having the opportunity to mentor Charlotte was a highlight for me.”

Captain Burton cherishes the time she spent with Charlotte and she encourages you to take any opportunity you get to mentor someone who is coming into the fire service. Not only does it improve their abilities as firefighter, it is rewarding to lend a helping hand.