FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, March 8,, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 978-971-8101
Email: [email protected]

Free Parking, Firefighter Hotel Accommodations, Updated Area Map and Media Logistics for Memorial Service for Captain Joel Barnes

Click here to download this map as a PDF. 

BERWICK, Maine — Berwick Fire & Rescue Chief Dennis Plante and Town Manager Stephen G. Eldridge are providing a public update on the memorial service for Berwick Fire Captain Joel Barnes.

Services and burial will take place on Sunday, March 10. There will be two services: A private mass and a public memorial ceremony.

The family will attend a Catholic funeral mass, which will be said at a local funeral home early in the morning. That service is only for family and close friends and is closed to the news media. The family has asked that their privacy be respected.

Memorial Service

The details of the public fire service memorial are as follows:

WHEN: 

Sunday, March 10, 2019

11 a.m.

WHERE:

Cross Insurance Arena

1 Civic Center Square

Portland, ME 04101

MEDIA LOGISTICS

Media are welcome to attend the memorial service, and broadcast cameras are allowed. One camera per station will be permitted inside the venue.

Journalists interested in attending the memorial are asked to RSVP by filling out a short form here.

A media liaison will be on site for the duration of the morning and through the ceremony’s conclusion. That person can be reached by phone or text message at 978-971-8101 on the day of the ceremony.

Media members are asked to enter the building through the Bath Savings Entrance on Spring Street. Members of the media should plan to arrive by 8 a.m. to ensure access to the area ahead of scheduled road closures.

Journalists will have parking reserved at the Holiday Inn By the Bay on a first-come-first-served basis.

All non-television reporters will be admitted to the press box area of the venue. Broadcast videographers and reporters will be escorted to a suite near Section Q where all video cameras will set up. Still photographers working on the floor will be restricted to the area to the rear of the floor seating once the ceremony begins, as well as the ADA seating platforms alongside the arena floor.

PROCESSION ROUTE

The procession carrying Captain Barnes’ casket will depart from the South Portland Central Fire Station at approximately 10 a.m.

It will travel across the Casco Bay Bridge, up High Street and turn right onto Spring Street before arriving at the arena.

*As the procession travels across the bridge, Portland Fire Department boats will conduct a ceremonial salute*

The procession is expected to arrive at the venue between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m.

BURIAL

The burial service is private for family members and the Berwick Fire Department only.

There will be no media admitted at the burial service.

INFORMATION FOR FIREFIGHTERS ATTENDING THE CEREMONY

FIREFIGHTER RSVP

Fire departments planning to attend the funeral are asked to fill out an online form to better give organizers an idea of attendance numbers.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

Click here to see a listing of hotel accommodations that are available to those attending and planning to stay overnight in the Portland area.

FIREFIGHTER STAGING

Firefighters intending to line the route to the venue should arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. More details about platoon lineups will be released as soon as possible.

The firefighter mustering point will be located on Spring Street between High and Temple Streets.

More detailed maps regarding platoon lineup information will be distributed as it becomes available.

PIPES AND DRUMS/COLOR GUARDS/HONOR GUARDS

Any pipe and drum bands or color guards wishing to participate in the services should click here to fill out an online form.

Pipe bands with questions can also contact Dave McLean of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire Pipes and Drums: (603-661-1940 or [email protected])

Honor guards interested in participating in the memorial service should contact Chris Thomson at 207-831-6295.

BUS AND CAR PARKING INFORMATION

Buses carrying firefighters should drop passengers off at the intersection of Commercial and Center Streets.

For those coming to Portland using their personal vehicles, parking will be available in the lots located at:

• 350 Commercial St.
• 167 Fore St. (Ocean Gateway)
• 44 Free St. (Midtown Parking Lot)
• 188 Newbury St. (Cumberland County Courthouse Parking Garage)
• 50 Cross St. (One Portland Square Parking)
• 45 Spring St.
• 175 Fore River Parkway (Mercy Hospital) *Shuttle provided from 7-9 a.m. and 1:30-4 p.m.*

Buses transporting attendees to the services should stage at 6 Portland Fish Pier. The staging area is approximately an 11 minute walk from the arena.

Agencies are asked not to bring fire apparatus to the memorial due to traffic and logistical concerns.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

FUND ESTABLISHED

The family of Captain Barnes requests that any donations being made in his name go to the Berwick Volunteer Firefighters Association in his memory c/o Kennebunk Saving Bank, 2 School St., Berwick, ME 03901.

This fund is the only officially sanctioned one created in Captain Barnes’ honor.

MUTUAL AID CONTINUES

Mutual aid station coverage for Berwick has been provided by ambulance companies and fire departments from across Maine and New Hampshire, and that assistance will continue through at least Sunday.

VIGIL CONTINUES

Firefighters have maintained their 24-hour constant vigil over the body of Captain Barnes, and that will continue uninterrupted until Sunday.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

This is the latest of several updates that will be distributed as new information becomes available.

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Captain Barnes, age 32, was a paramedic and served as the Berwick Fire & Rescue training officer and emergency medical services coordinator. He previously worked for the Horry County, South Carolina Fire Rescue Department, South Berwick Rescue, York Ambulance and the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department before joining Berwick Fire in July 2016. He was also an active per diem firefighter for Town of Acton, Maine.

Captain Barnes died in a large apartment fire on Bell Street Friday, March 1. The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation. Captain Barnes was leading another firefighter in an interior attack of the fire when conditions suddenly worsened.

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