Lewiston firefighters wear bulletproof vests Thursday at Central Fire Station. Each Lewiston firefighter was provided a vest due to a $150,000 donation by BlueTriton Brands, the parent company of Poland Spring. From left are Connor Perkins, Caleb Cyr, John Mathon, Nick Blais and Brett Vallee. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — About a dozen firefighters gathered Thursday at the Central Fire Station on College Street to receive bulletproof vests, a form of protection that has become more prevalent among emergency responders called to more dangerous situations.

The city’s 75 firefighters received bulletproof vests, according to Fire Chief Mark Caron.

Fire departments in Auburn, Poland, Lisbon, Turner and Durham also received vests – all from a $150,000 donation from BlueTriton Brands, the parent company of Poland Spring bottled water company. A total of 136 vests were given to the six communities.

“It’s a generous gift and it’s certainly appreciated,” Caron said.

Over his roughly 29-year firefighting career, Caron has watched fire departments get called scenes other than firefighting more frequently, he said. He estimates that roughly 20% to 25% of calls are for emergency medical services.

Some of those can be dangerous and include people using or carrying weapons, he said. In calls that might involve weapons, the department usually stages somewhere and waits for directives from law enforcement, but sometimes potential dangers of a call are not relayed to the department, he said. In those instances the vests will providing an extra level of protection, he said. They will protect against bullets and knives.

Before the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston, the department had been looking into buying vests for firefighters but at roughly $1,100 each it didn’t happen, he said. BlueTriton’s donation allowed the department to get high-end vests with more protection than basic models.

When company leaders at BlueTriton first learned about the shooting, which killed 18 people at two businesses in the city, their first reaction was to strategize ways to help the local community, according to Senior Manager and Community Relations Manager Heather Printup.

“At Poland Spring we prioritize the safety of our associates, and the same should be true for the safety of area first responders,” CEO Joey Bergstein said in an email statement Thursday. “That is why BlueTriton Brands and its Poland Spring team donated $150,000 to the city of Lewiston to provide ballistic vests to area Fire/EMS departments.

“We will continue to support our home state of Maine in meaningful ways, and we remain grateful to area first responders and their ongoing efforts to keep Mainers safe.”

It also donated $600,000 to the Small Business Relief Fund for local small businesses impacted by the shooting, Printup said. Afterward the company got word that local fire departments were in need of safety vests because they respond to dangerous calls more frequently. The company worked with the city to make the donation.

Poland Spring employee Ben Dyer of Auburn, who was shot five times in the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting at Schemengee’s Bar and Grille restaurant in Lewiston, stands Thursday in the Central Fire Station in Lewiston where 75 firefighters were given bulletproof vests. BlueTriton, the parent company of Poland Spring, donated $150,000 to purchase the body armor. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Poland Spring employee Ben Dyer was at Schemengees Bar & Grille restaurant the night of the shooting, hit five times in his right arm and leg, he said. He has not been able to return to work. “There’s always an ache and pain somewhere,” he said.

He started playing cornhole again earlier this year, using his left hand because he has no feeling in his right hand. He said he wants people to understand that the survivors of the shooting are still overcoming mental and physical scars imprinted upon them that night.

“I mean, I have to look down each day and see what happened,” he said.

BlueTriton has been supportive through his recovery, keeping his job for him until he is able to go back, he said.

He said he feels better knowing firefighters have more protection responding to calls. He thanked first responders for their help that night.

Dyer said he hopes the donation inspires other communities to outfit their first responders with bulletproof vests.

Lt. James Pelletier, who works on Engine 7, said the vests give him more peace of mind, he said.

“It’s nice to know you’re going to have the protection you’ll need if the situation turns dangerous,” he said.

He said firefighting has change over his nearly 24-year career, including as an EMT/paramedic. Often firefighters will accompany police officers on dangerous calls but people would not think of them as needing the same type of protection against bullets and knives.

“The big difference now is that they take first responders into consideration and not just police officers,” he said.

Lewiston Fire Department Pvt. Connor Perkins puts his bulletproof vest away Thursday at Central Fire Station in Lewiston. Each city firefighter was provided a vest provided through a $150,000 donation from BlueTriton Brands, the parent company of Poland Spring water company. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal