Woolwich woman becomes third-generation firefighter

Firefighter and AEMT Megan Williams Rogers. Contributed photo

After working as a Brunswick emergency medical technician for five years, Woolwich resident Megan Williams Rogers has solidified her family’s legacy by becoming a third-generation firefighter.

Her father, Mike Williams, is a longtime Wiscasset firefighter, EMT and former assistant chief. Her grandfather, John Blagdon, is a lifetime member of the Wiscasset Fire Department, former EMT and assistant chief, as well.

“I love hearing how proud my grandfather and dad are. It means a lot to carry on the tradition of helping people,” said Williams Rogers.

She said her family’s journey began when her grandparents became two of the seven founders of the Wiscasset ambulance.

The mother of two boys, Williams Rogers now joins the firefighting ranks with her father and nephew, alongside her mother, who works as a paramedic. Williams Rogers works as a firefighter and advanced medical technician, or AEMT, for the Brunswick Fire Department and Wiscasset Fire Department.

Having become an emergency medical technician five years ago, she said her motivation for joining the medical field was to help people feel safe during their darkest hours.

“I wanted to know that when someone called on the worst day of their life that someone would be there for them,” she said.

Spending six months training at the Maine Fire Service Institute, Williams Rogers said she had to prove she was in top physical shape. She said training included forcing down doors, extracting victims from cars, putting out fires and climbing ladders on multilevel buildings.

Williams Rogers said she had to overcome her fear of heights during training and is happy to say she succeeded.

“Many years ago when I was 18, I would never have done something like this. A huge part is because you tell yourself you can’t. Now that it’s done it’s very surreal because I did it,” she said.

Hoping to be “half the firefighter he is,” Williams Rogers said she is very fortunate to have a job that allows her to work alongside her father and help her community.

William Rogers now joins the ranks of other trailblazing women firefighters. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are a little over 1 million career and volunteer firefighters in the U.S. But according to the nonprofit Women in Fire networking group, only 6,200 are female.