A longtime fire service veteran, Captain Dave Pratt of the Boothbay Fire Department, was recognized as the Maine Fire Instructor of the Year on Saturday, March 29 in Brunswick. The award was presented by the Maine Fire Service Institute Director Bill Guindon during the Maine Fire Service Institute’s Spring Instructor Workshop held this past weekend in Brunswick.

The award has been established and dedicated to the memory of Deputy Chief Marc Bellefeuille, who was widely respected as an instructor for fire training and education. He was coordinator for the Maine State Weekend at the National Fire Academy. He dedicated 38 years to the fire service before retiring in April of 2011. Deputy Chief Bellefeuille passed away in 2011.

The “Deputy Chief Marc Bellefeuille” Instructor of the Year Award is presented to a fire service instructor whose acts and deeds serve as an example to the profession, their department and peers alike. The instructor of the year demonstrates an ongoing commitment to serving Maine’s fire service by teaching and encouraging others to progress themselves and/or their organization in pursuit of excellence.

Pratt was chosen for the “Deputy Chief Marc Bellefeuille Instructor of the Year” Award for demonstrating outstanding commitment and extraordinary accomplishments in fire service training. Pratt displayed a deep commitment to furthering the cause of the fire service training locally and regionally. Pratt was nominated by his peers, along with other fire service instructors during the statewide nomination period held in August of 2013.

The Maine Fire Service Institute is a department of Southern Maine Community College with statewide responsibility for firefighter training and the legislative authority to issue certification.