Our very own Firefighting Instructor Captain Harold Smith has been awarded the 2025 Captain Joel Barnes Community Service Award and he will be honored at the Maine Mariners hockey game Saturday night in Portland. Smith was named one of three finalists for the award last week along with Nancy Piche of Biddeford and Stephen Emmons of Brunswick. He’s the sixth winner of the award, which has been handed out annually since 2020, in honor of the late Berwick Fire Captain Joel Barnes. Barnes was tragically killed in the line duty in 2019, saving the life of fellow firefighter Mitch Manfredi, who was one of Smith’s students.
Smith received numerous nominations, which the Mariners and Teamsters Local 340 solicited online from November through January. His approach to firefighting education helped him capture the award, embodying the community-driven spirit of Captain Barnes. Click here to view the press release from the Maine Mariners: https://www.marinersofmaine.com/news/2025/03/harold-smith-wins-captain-barnes-community-service-award
SRTC is very proud of Captain Smith and we congratulate him for decades of service to the community! #MaineCTE #SRTC