In this new monthly column, Anchor contributing writer Jeffrey Good speaks with people who make a life here. “First Person” shares their stories, in their words.
Meriel Longley is one of two full-time firefighters hired by Harpswell to supplement the efforts of the town’s three volunteer forces. In February, she was named one of Maine’s Outstanding Women of 2025. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
People say, “I couldn’t possibly do what you do. Thank you so much for doing this.” I turn around and I say, “I love my job” — because that is the truth.
I got interested in fire and rescue after I graduated from Norwich University. I had a job working for the Navy as a personal trainer and had been a lifeguard for years. I grew up in Cundy’s Harbor — my dad was assistant fire chief — and felt like I needed to give back to my community.
I went to school to become an emergency medical technician. It started out as a volunteer thing and then my Navy job went away and I realized I had built a skill set. I might as well make this skill set pay my bills. I went to advanced EMT school, then to paramedic school, and then I realized that if I wanted to progress any more in my career I would have to get trained as a firefighter.
It really doesn’t scare me to run into a burning building, and I love the teamwork. I played competitive sports, and firefighting is the ultimate team sport. How do you score? You work together to put the fire out.
When Harpswell decided to hire full-time firefighters, I signed on. I love it that every day is different. I can be doing anything from helping grandma or grandpa off the ground, to getting someone out of a crushed car or off a boat, to rescuing someone on a trail or in a burning building. It’s one great adventure.
Nobody’s going to call unless they absolutely need you. This is their worst day — but you have to remember that it’s their emergency, not yours. If you’re able to keep your cool and be systematic, that usually calms the patient down. I keep telling them, “Just breathe.” It can be hard, especially if you know the person. It can be reassuring for them to see a familiar face, but it can also be embarrassing. I reassure them that it’s nothing I haven’t seen before, that they’re not alone. Giving them back their dignity is huge.
Ninety percent of the calls are for elderly people, but sometimes it’s children. An emergency involving a child is very different. Children compensate really well, until they don’t, and then they crash on you. I am someone who likes screaming children, because if you hand me a screaming child, I’m going to say, “OK, I’ve got an airway. They have a powerful set of lungs, which is awesome.” A silent child is usually one with a blocked airway or a neurological problem where they are not able to process the situation, and that in itself is scary.
I’ve been lucky to work with a great group of women. Fire is a great equalizer. Gender, race, color — it does not care. I’m 5 feet, 2 inches; I’m referred to as the “pocket paramedic.” It comes in handy because I can fit in small spaces. I may not have the upper-body strength of the men, but I’m an athlete and I understand my body. My strength comes from hips and thighs. Females bring a really cool thing to fire service. They don’t necessarily have brute strength; you have to think of a different way to accomplish the same thing. I love the saying, “think smarter, not harder.”
In light of the dwindling pool of volunteers, the town is planning for a central station serving all parts of Harpswell. You really don’t want a situation where fire chiefs are going to the town and saying, “We no longer have any volunteers who are qualified to fight an interior fire.” Your homeowners, your business owners, they don’t want to face that. A friend of mine faced that in a nearby town and she watched her homeowners insurance go up $2,000 in one year.
Emergency medical services is a young person’s game. I’m 41. When my time comes and I no longer want to ride on the ambulance or work on the fire truck, I’d like to help build community paramedicine. Paramedics come to the patient instead of bringing the patient to a brick-and-mortar emergency room. They’re able to do things like treat strep throat, provide wound care, perform blood tests; they can even enable home hospitalization. It saves huge amounts of money and would really help improve the health and wellness of our community.
