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Maine governor and Portland mayor honor firefighters for Custom House Wharf response as local firefighter raises pay concerns
Summary
Governor Janet Mills and Mayor Mark Dion presented proclamations recognizing Portland Fire Department and mutual aid partners for their response to the Dec. 26, 2025 Custom House Wharf fire. During public comment, a Portland firefighter praised crews and asked the council to address pay disparities with police.
Governor Janet Mills and Mayor Mark Dion commended Portland firefighters on Tuesday for their response to the Dec. 26, 2025 Custom House Wharf fire, presenting a joint proclamation that praised mutual aid partners and credited crews with containing the blaze in under two hours.
"These brave first responders operated under harrowing conditions," the proclamation read, citing restricted access to the wharf, freezing temperatures and the risk of structural collapse. Governor Mills and Mayor Dion both thanked firefighters for protecting Portland’s working waterfront and economy.
Portland Fire Department leaders accepted the recognition at the podium. "This is 110% humbling," the department representative said, naming deputy and mutual-aid chiefs present and thanking the community for food drives and other support given to crews in the days after the fire.
During the public-comment period that followed, Robert White — who identified himself as a fourth-shift firefighter with about 14 years on the job — told the council he’d been on the scene for the Wharf fire and other major incidents. White praised his colleagues’ courage, then turned to pay. "Do you think it's okay that a starting firefighter makes almost 30% less than a starting police officer?" he asked, calling for what he described as fair wages given call volume and risk.
John Jarrah, owner and partner at Custom House Wharf, also addressed the council and described sitting "on the pavement... praying for it to stop" as crews worked through the night. He said decisions made by firefighters "saved the old port" and pledged gift cards to crews as a token of thanks.
The mayor invited firefighters to remain for the remainder of the meeting; council members offered brief public acknowledgment of the department’s work. There were no formal council actions tied directly to pay or staffing in this session. The mayor and council did not announce specific next steps on firefighter compensation at the meeting.
