The 22 men and women of the Appleton Fire Department protect the lives and property of 1,200 residents near the central coast of Maine. Volunteers lend a hand to their neighbors across 36 square miles of rural countryside.
The department started in the early 1950s as a private group of volunteers receiving financial help from the town of Appleton. The town eventually bought the department for $1 and now funds an annual budget of approximately $40,000. The department's fleet of five trucks date from 1956 to 1979.
"I remember the days we didn't have radios. It was awful," says Assistant Chief John Boyington. Volunteers received fire calls via the telephone, but had limited information about the location and nature of calls. "When I first started, it was a social club," he continues. That's changed. Now the department includes four state-certified firefighters and three emergency medical technicians.
2003 Volunteer Roster:
Unit 01: David Stone - Chief
Unit 02: John Boyington - AssistantChief
Unit 03: Pete Simmons - Captain
Unit 04: Jake Boyington - Lieutennant
Unit 26: Chip Applegate - Firefighter
Unit 12: Arthur Clark - Lifetime Member
Unit 30: Andrew Domino - Firefighter
Unit 20: Don Dyment - Firefighter
Unit 69: Glen Fowlie - Firefighter
Unit 06: Clifton Fuller - Firefighter
Unit 24: Darrell Grierson - Firefighter
Unit 09: Donnie Grierson - Firefighter
Unit JR: Kevin Grierson - Firefighter Jr.
Unit 10: Ben Larner - Firefighter
Unit 05: Mickey McLaughlin - Firefighter
Unit 08: John Metcalfe - Firefighter
Unit 15: Austin Stark - Firefighter
Unit 21: Angela Stone - Firefighter
Unit 31: Taylor Vaughan - Firefighter
Unit 51: Andy Vietze - Firefighter
Unit 07: James Willey - Firefighter
Department Training Meeting
Radio Frequencies in Use on May 12, 2001
Chan Use Freq
01 Knox Disp 153.9725
02 Appleton 153.785
03 Searsmont 154.355
03 Waldo N 153.950
04 Washington 154.355
05 Hope 154.415
06 State Fire 154.310
07 Forestry 159.330
08 Mutual N 154.280
09 Mutual S 154.295
10 Knox CEP 155.745
11 Knox SO 158.880
12 Car-to-Car 154.695
13 SP Aug 154.650
14 Union PW 154.980
15 Weather 162.400
Telephone Contact to Knox Center Direct:
594-0677 or 594-8527
The 22 men and women of the Appleton Fire Department protect the lives and property of 1,200 residents near the central coast of Maine. Volunteers lend a hand to their neighbors across 36 square miles of rural countryside.
"I remember the days we didn't have radios. It was awful," says Assistant Chief John Boyington. Volunteers received fire calls via the telephone, but had limited information about the location and nature of calls. "When I first started, it was a social club," he continues. That's changed. Now the department includes four state-certified firefighters and three emergency medical technicians.
