LANCASTER, Mass. -- After searching for a new fire chief for several months, town officials have opted to suspend the search and run the department internally with help from the police chief and acting deputy fire chief.
The plan will save the town thousands of dollars, according to town officials.
Capt. Mike Hanson will be appointed the interim deputy chief in charge of all day-to-day activities at the station. Police Chief Kevin Lamb will serve as the interim fire chief and keep track of the budget and other administrative issues.
These positions will hold true for two years, when an evaluation will decide if Hanson should move to the chief position.
It came as a shock to Hanson when former Fire Chief John Fleck left the department in January to take another job in Lexington, Hanson said.
The search to fill the chief job yielded seven candidates from a list of 31 applicants, but when firefighters from the department heard this their first question was whether Hanson was one of the candidates, Lamb said.
Hanson has been with the department since 1990, and in 2006 he came on as the first full-time employee.
Lamb saw Hanson as a good candidate for the chief position, but he needed the opportunity to improve his résumé and improve his managerial skills before he could take the job.
"I am in full belief that promotions should come from within," Lamb said, noting that the bond within the department is already established and the transition is usually more smooth.
Hanson has already begun taking managerial courses at Quinsigammond Community College's Fire Science program to beef up his résumé. He has continually taken classes in fire safety for years and has a high interest in learning more, he said.
As far as the service provided by the department, nothing is expected to change. The Fire Department has essentially been running in this format since January, responding to more than 90 calls with no hiccups to note, Hanson said.
Though there aren't that many towns in Massachusetts that have a shared police and fire chief, there are examples where it has worked.
In Mendon, population about 6,000, the town has had a shared fire and police chief position since 2005.
"Basically, the town's never looked back," said Mendon Town Coordinator Dale Pleau.
By merging the two positions Mendon saves $40,000 to $50,000 per year, which is helpful given the currently harsh climate for budget making, he said.
With the absence of Fleck's salary, Lancaster will see about a $63,500 savings, said Finance Committee Chairman James Piermarini.
The town will pay a stipend to Lamb and keep Hanson on the current management development plan, which will yield pay increases with increased experience.
