ebullient /e-bū-lee-ent
adjective
- Zestfully enthusiastic.
- Boiling or seeming to boil; bubbling.
- Prescott Nadeau, Hinesburg Fire Chief
When you meet Prescott Nadeau what strikes you is the way he looks at you, the green-blue eyes locked on yours, the handshake – firm and hearty – the smile. The ever-present smile. The man is a force of enthusiasm. It’s difficult for him not to smile. A man of faith. A man of positive energy.
Nadeau has been Hinesburg’s fire chief since September, and he looks every bit settled into his new job, something he’s dreamed of since he was a little kid when he’d press his face against the window to look at the firetrucks and their sirens go whizzing by. It was exciting.
He has a wealth of experience: 20 years with the Williston Fire Department – 14 as a full-time firefighter – a degree in fire science administration from the University of New Haven and a completed National Fire Academy’s Managing Officer Program. He’s married to a hospital nurse and EMT – they understand each other’s stress – and together they have three boys, ages one, three and six. To say he and his wife have their hands full is an understatement.
But you wouldn’t know it when you talk to him. Even when an emergency call comes in and he’s getting on his gear, he is calm, his movement sure.
All his life Nadeau has been fascinated with firefighting.
When he moved to Williston when he was 11 or so, his neighbor was Ken Morton, then Williston’s fire chief, who took Nadeau under his wing soon realizing that this boy’s interest was real.
“He gave me trade magazines and books to read,” Nadeau said of Morton, who is still a mentor. “I would digest the book in a few days, and you know, at that age, most kids don’t typically do that.”
At 14 he was invited to hang out at the fire station from time to time. At 15 he was given a summer internship and attended his first fire – a training burn – and was struck by the power of fire. And in 2010, after college and training, he was given a full-time job.
It was the excitement of firefighting that attracted him. It still is what attracts him, but the excitement is different now.
“Honestly, when the pager goes off, we know that we’re going to help someone,” he said. “And it could be the worst day of their life because their house is on fire or they’re trapped in a vehicle or their loved one is not breathing.
“Our job is to help. And, at the end of the day, we know we’ve done something to help.” Like save a life. Or put out a fire in time to save a structure, like they did on Coyote Ridge Road in January. Or rescued someone from a car crash. Or shut off the water in someone’s house, pumped out the basement and settled them down.
“That’s what excites me.”
Nadeau is Hinesburg’s first full-time fire chief. He took over for Nick Baker – who recommended that the position be full-time, and who continues on the force as an on-call firefighter and EMT. Baker is one of 25 men and women who rotate being on call in off-hours or anytime the need arises.
The department has two full-time firefighters: Lieut. Justin Beauchemin and Connor Contois; both are highly trained and are designated as advanced emergency technicians (AEMT). The on-call staff are all trained in firefighting and emergency medical response.
Nadeau isn’t comfortable with the current staffing system – particularly on weekends when full-time staffers are off. Response time is slower, he said, logical enough if you think how quickly full-timers can hop in the truck and go if they’re at the station. More importantly the on-call person is often arriving at the scene alone. “You need two,” he said. For safety. To properly deal with the situation be it a fire, rescue or needed medical response.
Nadeau has an agenda for his first year. He wants Hinesburg residents to get to know him; he’s planning some open houses and conversations. He wants us to know more about what the department does: “A lot of people don’t even know that we provide emergency medical services” – at your home, in the woods or on the road. Of 617 calls last year, 150 were for car crashes and many were acute cases – high-speed accidents, crushed vehicles. Last year, firefighters had to cut occupants out of their vehicles three times; “that’s more than I had in Williston in five years.”
He wants residents to know that the department does off-road rescue – in the Town Forest or on Lake Iroquois or wherever. It does pre-incident planning by inspecting and charting businesses so they know the layout and where, say, a propane tank is located when and if they have to respond to an emergency. The fire department is first on the scene of a hazardous materials leak. They stand by in any “hostile” police situations. They inspect older folks’ homes for potential obstacles in the night that might cause a fall. They’ll come to your home to check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or install new ones if needed – part of a state grant.
“We don’t just sit around and play checkers,” he said, smiling. Always smiling.
A big thing that he plans for the coming year is to collect more and better data – types of calls, response time, problems encountered, skills required, anything that will help him understand what the department needs to do its job to a higher level. Because he’s new at this job, and he wants to know.
Almost on cue, as he was finishing a recent conversation with The Record, a call came in. A calm rush. Gear on. In the trucks. Inside a minute, Beauchemin and Contois were out the door in one truck, and Nadeau was close behind in another as they made their way to a Hinesburg homeowner who’d called with a medical emergency.
Rushing to help. The job of Prescott Nadeau’s dreams.
Hinesburg Firefighters Celebrate Milestones
The Hinesburg Fire Department would like to recognize the following members who celebrated milestones with the department:
- Life Member Randy Thompson, 40 years
- Captain Ed Waite, 25 years
- Captain Lucas Charbonneau, 15 years
- Senior Firefighter Jonathan Titus, 10 years
- FF/AEMT Connor Contois, 5 years
- EMT Lyn Porter, 5 years
- IT Specialist Shayne Waite, 5 years
A special highlight for Life Member Randy Thompson: He has served as the training officer, 1st and 2nd lieutenant, captain and both 1st and 2nd assistant chief in his time. He remains active with life membership and as a Senior Firefighter.
“We’re fortunate to have such dedication from our firefighters and emergency medical technicians,” said Chief Prescott Nadeau. “Please join me in congratulating these members for their service to the department and greater community as a whole.”