Rockland welcomes newest paramedic to the fire department

Thu, 07/21/2016 - 8:00pm

Story Location:
118 Park Street
Rockland, ME 04841
United States

    ROCKLAND — Members of the Rockland Fire Department and city officials, including Mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf, gathered on the apron of the firehouse on the morning of July 20 to welcome the newest member of the department, paramedic Bill Pendleton.

    Pendleton has been in Maine for about a year, working with North East Mobile Health, before signing on with Rockland Fire and EMS. Prior to that he was in Richmond, Va., working with the Richmond Fire Department. He is a graduate of University of Richmond.

    During the brief ceremony welcoming him to Rockland, Fire Chief Chris Whytock said a few words about Pendleton and the importance of recognizing his staff.

    “In this career, we are family oriented and you need the support of the community and your family to do it,” said Whytock. “And going forward, I want to make sure we recognize individuals so they know their work and their dedication is appreciated.”

    On hand to affix Pendleton’s new badge to his uniform was his father, Mark Pendleton.

    Asked what brought him from Virginia to Maine, Pendleton said, “I have family on Islesboro and so I decided to move to Rockland for a change of scenery.”

    So far, he said, he hasn’t gone on any really interesting ambulance calls. “But give it a week,” he said.

    The Rockland Fire Department currently has 18 full-time employees, including 16 firefighters and two emergency medical services personnel.

    Whytock started in his new role as chief June 1, but he is not new to the department, having served as a firefighter with the city since 1999. The 17-year-veteran of the department joined a week after his 20th birthday, soon after he graduated from Southern Maine Technical College. Whytock has worked his entire fire service career with the city.

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