The drip, drip, drip of senior department heads retiring in Freeport might just cease for a while, now that veteran Fire Chief Darrel Fournier has announced he will pack it in on May 6.
Fournier’s announcement, made to the Town Council last week, marks the third time a department head with more than three decades of service has announced retirement in the last two months. Head librarian Beth Emonds – replaced recently by Arlene Arris – began work at the old Bartol Library in 1981. Police Chief Gerald Schofield, who will retire on March 25, has 39 years of service.
Fournier, 60, joined the force in 1974 and when promoted to chief in 1983, he also became the town’s first full-time firefighter. Fournier left to become fire chief in Waterville from 1990-1999, then returned to his old position in Freeport.
Darrel Fournier, retiring Freeport fire chief, stands next to the oldest truck in the fleet, a 1988 Grumman pumper that was his first purchase after he became chief.
Fournier said he hopes the advance notice will give the town time to hire a replacement whom he can help train. Fournier is paid $87,426 a year.
This past December, Fournier returned to work following nearly 11 months on unpaid leave to recuperate from shoulder surgery.
The shoulder had nothing to do with his decision to retire, Fournier said.
“You always think about retirement when you’re my age,” he said. “I’m at a good point, financially, and it’s time to go. I can go out and retire comfortably and spend more time with my five grandchildren.”
Fournier and his wife, Diane, have two grown children, Crystal and Lucas.
Looking back on his time as fire chief, Fournier said he could not forget the huge downtown fire of Sept. 22, 1981, when he was deputy chief. At about 10 p.m., crews were called out to a roaring blaze at Midtown Apartments and Leighton’s Store in the Clark Block, across Main Street from L.L. Bean. Firefighters safely rescued 63 people from the building, and with mutual aid were able to contain the loss to the Clark Block and the adjoining Davis Block.
“It was a cold, damp night,” Fournier said. “A guy who broke into Leighton’s store set fire to the building to cover his tracks.”
The fire department won a commendation from the town for its work on the 1981 fire.
In 1987, Freeport firefighters battled another major fire, again determined to be arson, when the old middle school, located near Freeport High School, burned.
In those, days, Fournier said, Freeport was transitioning into the major retail center it is today.
“A lot of my work was in code enforcement to make sure we were withing the fire codes,” he said.
Fournier will leave a department that actually is smaller than when he started. There are 25 firefighters with the on-call roster today, compared to 60 when he started. The number of fire trucks, which includes rescue units, has declined from nine to six.
“With code enforcement and technology, these fire department apparatus pump more water,” Fournier said. “Today we have the best fire rating in the history of the town, and I’m very pleased about that.”
Freeport has a Class III rating near hydrants, and South Portland is the only community in the state with a Class I rating, Fournier said. Freeport’s rural rating – within five miles of the fire station – is Class V, which is well ahead of most rural areas, he said.
“This was done through very aggressive training of our firefighters, and our response times,” Fournier said. “We now have four firefighters (emergency management technicians) around the clock.”
Fournier said that fire service has been a great career.
“You build a lot of friendships,” he said. “I’ve always said being a chief for your hometown is a positive, but it also can be a negative when there are deaths and severe accidents.”
Fournier was at the center of a brief flap in January 2015 when the town imposed a two-day suspension on him for a perceived conflict of interest. He had been working part time for Paul Davis Restoration, a company that responds to fire scenes and offers its services. Fournier had been accused of promoting the company while on duty, and subsequently resigned from that job.
Town Manager Peter Joseph announced Fournier’s impending retirement to the Town Council on Feb. 23.
“He had a great commitment to the town,” Joseph said. “We have department heads who are at retirement age, and this is not unexpected. Freeport has its best fire rating ever. You’re going out on top.”
Council Chairwoman Melanie Sachs said that Fournier’s dedication to the town is appreciated.
“You’ve earned the trust that our town has in you and you will be sorely missed,” Sachs said.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
