Lt. Erik Knudsen, left, and Falmouth Fire Chief Howard Rice at the Foreside Fire Station. File
FALMOUTH — Two longtime members of the Falmouth Fire Department unexpectedly tendered their resignations Monday.
Lt. Erik Knudsen joined the department as a high school student and has dedicated 47 years to serving Falmouth. Sarah Beliveau has been with the department for 17 years.
When asked to comment about the sudden resignations, Falmouth Town Manager Nathan Poore said, “If there are personnel matters intertwined with something it’s very difficult to comment.”
When asked for any information on the reason behind the resignations, Poore said, “We’ll be speaking with them next week, and hopefully when they come in they can let us know a little bit about their exit.”
“We’re thankful for their dedicated service and their longevity,” Poore added. “It’s certainly sad to see people go that have been here so long.”
Both Fire Chief Howard Rice and Amy Kuhn, chairwoman of the Town Council, declined to comment on the pair’s sudden departure.
Knudsen and Belieau are well known in the community for their commitment and interest in the well-being of others.
Stephanie Fairchild of Falmouth felt compelled to submit a letter to the editor in April, 2019 thanking those who came to her assistance when a falling tree struck her. Among them was Sarah Beliveau.
“…the amazing Falmouth Fire/EMS team, especially Sarah Beliveau who tended to me and held my hand in the ambulance to Maine Medical Center,” said Fairchild.
In a letter to the editor published in this week’s edition of the paper, resident Catherine Sexton of Falmouth wrote, “Dedication, passion and compassion, and allegiance to public service are fundamental to both their characters. The world is upside down that these resignations could have happened. This is a huge loss for our community.”
When contacted, Sexton said she knows both Knudsen and Beliveau and agreed to reach out to see if they would speak to The Forecaster about the reason behind their resignations. Neither contacted the paper by this week’s deadline.
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