Lawmakers hear push to let Bangor airport firefighters retire after 25 years with no age requirement
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Summary
Witnesses including union leaders and active airport firefighters urged lawmakers to fund LD 12 36 in the supplemental budget, saying the current 25-years-plus-age-55 rule is outdated given heavier call volumes and PFAS exposure. The fiscal note is estimated at roughly $500,000–$522,000 as a one-time cost; ongoing costs are largely federally reimbursed.
Lawmakers heard Tuesday from multiple members of the Maine Air National Guard Fire Department and the Maine Service Employees Association pressing for funding in the governor's supplemental budget for LD 12 36, a measure to allow firefighters at Bangor International Airport to retire after 25 years of service without an age requirement.
"This is long overdue," said Beth White, director of politics and legislation for the Maine Service Employees Association Local 1989, urging the committees to include the bill in LD2212. White said the bill would create a special retirement plan allowing airport firefighters to "retire after 25 years of service regardless of age," noting an estimated fiscal impact in the first year of about $522,000.
Assistant Fire Chief Jeremiah Jordan, testifying on his own time, described how the airport's mission and call volume have changed since 2000 and said the retirement system, last updated in 1998, has not kept pace. "The mission of the airport has changed in many ways. Unfortunately, the retirement system hasn't caught up," Jordan told the joint committees, adding the department responded to thousands of incidents last year.
Several active firefighters gave nearly identical accounts of increased workloads and health risks. Captain Ryan McGuire said crews now face regular exposure to PFAS from firefighting foam and gear: "Little did I know about the hazards that come with this job... PFAS or PFOS, the 'forever chemicals.'" Multiple witnesses submitted blood-test results or described elevated PFAS levels among crew members.
Witnesses and union leaders emphasized recruitment and retention problems tied to retirement rules and weekly hours (24-hour shifts that average roughly 56 hours). They argued parity with other public-safety retirement systems (state police and fire investigators already have no minimum age) would help retain trained personnel and ultimately reduce costs. Several speakers said the airport firefighting program is 100% federally funded for salaries and benefits under the master cooperative agreement, which they said means ongoing costs would be federally reimbursed; the supplemental request is described as a one-time general fund adjustment to cover actuarial impacts.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the size of the eligible pool (about 35 full-time firefighters at the airport, witnesses said) and the long-run fiscal "tail." Witnesses and union representatives gave consistent FY1 estimates around $500,000 (witnesses variously cited $500,000, $522,000, and $525,000 based on different fiscal notes and rounding). Committees requested the official fiscal note and additional details for the work session.
The public hearing record shows bipartisan questions and requests for fiscal detail. The next procedural step is a scheduled work session where staff and the Office of Fiscal and Program Review will provide the committee with the fiscal note and other clarifications the panel requested.