MFSI Instructors


Deputy Chief Marc Bellefeuille State Fire Instructor of the Year Award

The Deputy Chief Marc Bellefeuille State Fire Instructor of the Year Award is given to a Senior State Fire Instructor that demonstrates an ongoing commitment to serving Maine’s fire service by teaching and encouraging others to improve themselves and/or their organization in pursuit of excellence.

The Instructor of the Year Award recognizes individuals for extraordinary accomplishments in fire service training who have:

  • Shown commitment to furthering the cause of the fire service through training.
  • Demonstrated creativity and innovation to fire training programs
  • Served as a positive model for other instructors and firefighters.
  • Advanced the cause of firefighter safety through training
  • Gone beyond the call of duty in training.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2024 Instructor of the Year Award. Please complete and submit this form to Director Graves. 

The 2023 Instructor of the Year Award Recipient: Howard Rice 

Chief Howard Rice has been part of MFSI for over 14 years as a State Fire Instructor and has been instrumental in seeing that programs are managed in a manner that is consistent with our mission. He has worked with many fire departments across the state of Maine to help enhance the level of fire service training programs. Specifically Fire Officer, Fire Instructor I & II, and our new Live Fire Instructor program. He is always willing to assist MFSI and is a true leader in every aspect of the word.

Recent MFSI Recipients: (2022) Darren Woods (2021) Phil Meunier (2020) John Churchill (2018) Chris Poremby (2017) Chris Connor (2012) Tim Hardy


New State Fire Instructor Hiring Process

Periodic posting of the position will be made and the entire hiring process will be followed as listed below:

  1. Candidates shall successfully complete the New State Fire Instructor hiring process which consists of a written examination (70% score or better); a physical wellness assessment, instructional skills assessment stations, oral interviews, and documentation of respiratory protection compliance.
  2. Candidates who wish to be hired as a Contract Instructor for Maine Fire Service Institute must submit a letter of intent along with a resume to the MFSI Director. Once your resume has been received, we will contact you and provide detailed information for the next step in the process.
  3. Candidates for the position of State Fire Instructor must be Firefighter I & II certified, Fire Instructor I certified, and have a minimum of 5 years of experience as a firefighter, including 2 years of fire service instructing experience as documented in your resume.

MFSI Code of Conduct (click here)