At the 70-year mark, Alna Volunteer Fire Department is doing as well as others in Maine, Fire Chief Mike Trask said.

And like the others, Alna's could use more members, he said.

Trask doesn't see a time that won't be the case. That's the way it has gone, but the department keeps on. It has 18 members, he said. Trask has served as chief several years. So did his father, the late Austin Trask, with a couple of chiefs between father and son. Trask said he was a kid when his father was chief.

Bigger plans to celebrate the department’s longevity are likely for the 75th anniversary, he and department president Beth Whitney said. The department is marking the 70th with a banner.

It was on display in the fire station's meeting room for selectmen's and special town meetings June 12. Whitney noted it to the public.

The best thing about the department is probably the diversity of its members, Trask said Friday. He said they have different skills, personalities and sometimes different views. "But everyone gets along well.”

How important is that for a fire department?

“I think that’s very important.”

If interested in training to serve on the department, call Trask at 441-0332 or Assistant Chief Roger Whitney at 586-5803. Or Trask said to stop by the station on Route 218 any Wednesday night. He said someone's always there by 6:30 or 7 p.m.