Annual Maine State Firefighter Convention

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -This weekend is the 59th Annual Maine State Firefighter Convention. It is the fourth time the event is being hosted in Presque Isle and the first since 2010.

The Convention is just getting started with a dinner at the Northeastland Hotel. Senator Susan Collins is the guest speaker. Tomorrow will be a full day of activities starting with the parade starting at 9 am at UMPI and ending at the Forum. The firefighters will then compete in muster events beginning at 12:30.

Captain of the Presque Isle Fire Department Aaron Buzza said, “We have 125 registered firefighters from all across the state and they will bring guests with them. I think somewhere somebody said, you know, we’re going to bring between two and three thousand people if not, four thousand people to the community who typically aren’t here. We want the public to come out. We want them to enjoy the parade. We want them to come to the muster. We want them to come to the dance. It’s all free. We want to celebrate Presque Isle. We want to have Presque Isle show the state of Maine that we can host an event here and we can have a real good time doing it.”

General Manager at the Hampton Inn Hotel in Presque Isle Adam Cyr said, “It’s very busy this weekend. We’re sold out this time of year, typically right out through October we’re very busy even on the weekends, but this gave us a little extra push so it was nice to have between the Dustbowl and the Firefighters Conference that come in so it was nice to see a little more of an influx with these events we have picked up and we are getting a lot of disappointed people calling looking for rooms and we don’t have what they are looking for.”

Buzza says the event is a great way for Presque Isle to showcase what it has to offer to firefighters from around the State of Maine.