LEWISTON, ME (December 13, 2022) – The Lewiston Fire Department continues to see advancement within the ranks, and it also has two new firefighters on board.  

William Wallace, Jr., has been promoted to Fire Captain on C shift. Prior to his promotion, Wallace spent just over 10 years as Lieutenant of Engine 7A shift responding out of Central Station. He is a Maine State Fire Instructor specializing in fire pumps and water supply, a certified Fire Officer II, Firefighter II, and Fire Instructor II. He is also a licensed EMT as well as Hazmat Technician. In addition, Captain Wallace is an active participant in the department’s Grave Marker Committee which places memorial flags annually for fallen firefighters and retired members who have since passed away. In his spare time, he enjoys camping, fishing, hunting, and spending quality time with his wife, Christine, and dog, Dash.

Eric Watson has been promoted to Lieutenant.  He began his career as a volunteer firefighter in the Towns of Sabattus/Lisbon at age 18 and commenced his tenure with Lewiston Fire in 2011. Lt. Watson is a Southern Maine Community College graduate with an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science.  Watson has worked with contractors and Code Enforcement to obtain dozens of buildings to train in before being demolished. With those buildings, he has taught roof ventilation and forcible entry specialty training.  Eric also works for the Maine Fire Service Institute, assisting to build the state’s advanced force and soon-to-be ventilation program. He also is on-call with the Maine Forest Service and has most recently been deployed to California, Colorado, West Virginia, and Washington. 

Robert Gayton has been promoted to Lieutenant on Engine 3-A Platoon.  He began his fire service career in 2004 with the Town of Sabattus. He has completed his Bachelor’s Degree in American History from the University of Maine Farmington, as well as his Associates Degree in Fire Science from Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), graduating top in the program.  He commenced his career with the City of Lewiston in 2011 as a firefighter on Engine 5, became involved with Local 785 early on, and has progressed to his current role of Vice-President. The majority of his time with Lewiston has been spent on both Engine 5 and 7.  Lt. Gayton has also been involved with the LFD Rookie School and Honor Guard for over ten years. In addition, he is a Peer Advisor and a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team member for the department.  Lt. Gayton also served as an Adjunct Professor for SMCC’s Fire Science Program for eight years. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and hunting/fishing.  “I’m extremely proud to be part of this organization and its history,” said Lt. Gayton. 

Cory Higgins is a third-generation firefighter and has been promoted to Lieutenant. He started his fire career at age 18 and was hired by the Lewiston Fire Department in June of 2011.  He enjoys teaching and mentoring new firefighters. He grew up in Lewiston and Brunswick playing hockey, soccer, and lacrosse.  Following 2008 graduation from Brunswick High School, he attended Southern Maine Community College for fire science work for the federal government as a summer wildlife firefighter.  He likes to spend his free time camping, ATVing, snowmobiling, and fishing with his children.

 Hannah Maurais is a new Lewiston firefighter, coming to Lewiston from Windham.  She graduated from Southern Maine Community College with a degree in Fire Science in 2020 and a Basic EMT license. 

Brady Downing is another new Lewiston firefighter, originating from Poland and a fire service family background. He is a Southern Maine Community College graduate with a degree in Fire Science and holds an Advanced-EMT license.  Downing eagerly looks forward to a career with the City of Lewiston.

William Wallace