News Notes: August 13, 2023

Sanford Firefighter Sarah Jarvis helps young women experience firefighting at Camp Fully Involved.

Training future firefighters: Sarah Jarvis, a Sanford firefighter and paramedic, helped young women get a taste of her profession recently at Camp Fully Involved in Concord, N.H. The camp offers hands-on experience to girls ages 14-20 who are interested in working in the field. Nationwide, only 5 to 7 percent of firefighters are women, though Jarvis said the Sanford Fire Department started hiring women decades ago. She has worked for the department for nine years and has taught girls from around the country and around the state at Camp Fully Involved for 10 years. More information on the camp is available here.

Stored, lost, found: Sanford Police have shared more information about the search of a New Dam Road residence on Aug. 2. According to police and news reports, officers had obtained a search warrant for the property at 148 New Dam Road because of a string of burglaries from storage units in the area. No one was home during the search, but police said they were able to collect evidence. Charges are expected to follow.

Victims identified: A Vermont man and his 15-year-old grandson have been identified as the victims of a fatal crash last Wednesday on Old Falls Road in Sanford. Police said Michael Gilbar, 65, of Jericho, Vermont, was working in the yard of his summer home with his grandson when a 2000 Chevy Equinox veered off the road and hit them. The grandson, whose name has not been released, died at the scene. Gilbar died on the way to the hospital. The driver, whose name also has not been released, survived with injuries. No charges have been filed while an investigation into the cause of the crash continues.

Party in the orchard: McDougal Orchards in Springvale will kick off the fall growing season with an orchard party next Saturday, Aug. 19, in part to benefit the Sanford Backpack Program. The orchard and barn will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. for apple picking, free guided trail walks, wagon rides, a barn tour and more. Then, from 5 to 8 p.m., visitors can enjoy a party in the barn with live music, food, and a chance to reserve VIP seating, at $25 per person, to support the Backpack Program. This program sends school children home with backpacks full of nutritious food. To reserve a seat, click here.

Katie Johnson with the Daisy Award

Above and beyond: Katie Johnson, a nurse in the walk-in clinic at Southern Maine Health Care in Sanford, was recently honored with a DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. She was nominated by a patient who described how Johnson kept her calm while a doctor removed a treble hook – a three-pronged fishing hook – that was deeply embedded in her hand. “It really meant a lot to me to have someone so friendly and genuine to talk me through my anxiety and revulsion at the sight of the hook under my skin,” the patient wrote. The DAISY Award, originally started by the family of a cancer patient in Seattle, recognizes nurses who provide compassionate care to their patients. More than 5,400 health care institutions take part.

Maine Attraction in magazine: https://www.facebook.com/maineattractionwaterski/posts/pfbid0YAqo1nDF75YphAcxXhfUUCELYduNf1VZhiB13tooxk5xDDvHWC7Zg6Zev7nLJuJvl