Justin Hills wears multiple uniforms in the community as a first responder. Hills is a paramedic, firefighter and police officer. Currently Hills works part-time for Northeast Health, Camden Police department, Knox County Sheriff's office and volunteers for the Lincolnville Fire department.

Although Hills said he is not running into a phone booth like Superman to change into his uniform of the day, he is constantly switching gears depending on which first responder department he is working for on a particular day of the week.

Hills is a Lincolnville resident and was born and raised in Union. He attended Medomak Valley High School and Stonehill College, where he received his degree in criminal justice.

What were your previous first responder positions?

I was a corrections officer at Knox County Jail, patrol officer with Rockland Police Department, volunteer with Union Ambulance and a paramedic with Camden First Aid Association.

Why did you want to become a first responder?

To sum it all up, I really like giving back to the community. I love being the one who is walking in when everyone is running out, which means I like to solve problems, not panic and take control, even in an atmosphere of chaos. When I teach CPR classes I preach the "three C's", which means to stay cool, calm and collected. I also incorporate these philosophies into my first responder jobs.

Why did you return to law enforcement after a hiatus of several years?

I attribute a lot of my desire to being a cop again to Randy Gagne, Camden Police Chief, who has been a great friend and mentor. Gagne encourages foot patrol in downtown Camden and tells the officers to spend a few hours of their shift "walking the beat." I think that community policing is an important aspect of law enforcement. I enjoy talking with the business owners, tourists, and the community. Additionally, in 2012, I was diagnosed with non Hodgkins lymphoma when I was at Camden First Aid Association and when they closed their doors, I really needed to think about what was important in my life, what made me happy, and what I enjoyed doing the most. This included all of the jobs I am doing right now.

What was one of your most notable calls?

There are many from all of the areas where I work, but police-wise it was when I was on duty in Camden and received a call from dispatch that a kid was waving a gun from a car window. My partner and I located the car and made a "felony stop," which means our guns were out and trained on the male holding the gun. As it turned out, the kid was holding a toy gun, but one wrong move and we would have shot him. We determined he was hanging out with the wrong crowd and had a serious discussion with him about the poor decisions he was making in his life. A year later I ran into the kid and he had really turned his life around. He had stopped smoking pot, had a full- time job and had healthy friends in his life. Wow!

What are the similarities with your first responder positions?

My paramedic training is an asset when I am responding to an accident as a police officer. Often the police arrive on an accident scene before the EMS and I am able to assess how a person is health-wise and relay that information to the paramedics when they arrive. My EMS training allows me to look at a police situation differently.

What are the current challenges facing firefighters since many area fire departments are struggling with recruiting volunteers?

Firefighters are faced with the challenge of keeping up with all of the training and certifications required by law. This can be very difficult time-wise if a volunteer is juggling a career and family responsibilities at the same time. But, the upside to this challenge is that I have found that firefighters are an amazing and supportive family.

Speaking of firefighter training, are there any new training updates for law enforcement officers?

I have been involved with advocating that Knox County police officers get belt trauma kits, which will include tourniquets and "quik clots.” These can save lives on the scenes of severe accidents. Recently, there was a situation in Lincoln County where police responded to a call where a man had intentionally cut off his hand with a table saw. After hearing about this incident, I approached Chief Gagne about getting these belt kits. Ray Sisk, Director of the Emergency Management Agency in Knox County, received a grant to order supplies for officers and I am involved with helping to develop the training module for the collaborative training among departments.

What is your advice on how a person can stay out of trouble with the law?

Develop healthy habits and relationships early on in your life. Get and stay involved in the community. Join school clubs like sports, drama or music. It also helps to exercise at a gym.

Do you volunteer in the community besides being a firefighter?

I have been a Special Olympics volunteer for several years and this group is special to me. This June, I will be riding my bike again in the torch run alongside some of my Camden police colleagues as we travel from Camden to Rockland. I will also be handing out the medals to the winners at the Special Olympic games this June in Orono.

Do you have any closing thoughts?

Yes I do! I encourage everyone to come out and support the Run for Your Life Challenge (www.emergencyservicechallenge.org) on May 23 at 8 a.m. at the Camden Snow Bowl. Paramedics, law enforcement and firefighters are all working very hard to encourage more citizens to get involved. If your body is not ready for this challenge, then come out as a cheerleader.

Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com