BANGOR, Maine — Bangor Fire Chief Scott Lucas has accepted a second job as the new director of wrestling operations for the University of Maine’s National Collegiate Wrestling Association Division II team.
Lucas made the decision to accept the unpaid UMaine job Thursday, the same day he informed the city he was resigning at the end of his contract on Dec. 3.
“I’m coaching wrestling at the University of Maine pretty much immediately,” Lucas said in a phone interview Saturday. “And I’ve got a few other options, personally and professionally. It’s not really that I’m leaving to coach wrestling. It’s just the timing. My contract is up.
“What people need to remember is: I’ve only been here a couple years, but for me it’s been 23 in the fire service,” said Lucas, who was hired as Bangor’s fire chief in December 2012.
Volunteers Don McCann, Aaron James, Bill Osmer, Mike Carter and Lucas got the UMaine club program up and running last year and, Lucas said, he and Aaron Hoshide will be playing a larger role in the program this year.
“It’s not NCAA, but we’re working on that,” Lucas said. “We’ve got some kids coming to UMaine to actually wrestle in this program.”
Victor Irwin, who earned an NCWA All-American title earlier this year as a freshman at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor has enrolled at UMaine, he said.
“He’s the first All-American for EMCC,” Lucas said. “They’re pretty proud of him, and now he’s working with us.”
About 20 students were involved in the winter club program last year, and more have signed up this year, Lucas said.
“We’ve added to our numbers,” he said. “We’ll start conditioning the first of October and won’t start wrestling until December.”
Lucas came to Bangor after a 21-year career with the Westland Fire Department in Michigan, where he was the assistant fire chief. He also coached Division I wrestling at Eastern Michigan University for seven years as a second job.
He is a wrestler himself and competed in the World Police and Fire Games seven times as a freestyle participant, winning six medals. The biennial games draw more than 10,000 police and firefighter athletes from 70 countries from around the world.
“I coached wrestling for seven years … and I’m just now in the position to retire and do something I want to do,” Lucas said. “I’m not leaving so I can go coach wrestling. I’m happy with my time in Bangor. It was like the grad school of my firefighting career. It was kind of like the icing on the cake of my firefight career.”
Lucas and four other dads also started a youth wrestling program through the Bangor parks and recreation for students in first through fifth grade.
With the change in jobs, “I’m going to be able to spend more time with my 9-year-old,” Lucas said. “My little boy is going to be part of the wrestling program.”
The youth program attracted 37 elementary wrestlers last year, he said.
“I’m also on the Board of Directors for the Bangor Boys and Girls Club, and retiring will give me a lot more time to concentrate on that,” Lucas said. “I’m not just going to go away.”
A disagreement with some of his firefighters earlier this year over the local Fill the Boot fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association had nothing to do with his departure, the fire chief said.
The advice Lucas would give his replacement is to tap the qualities of the young officers.
“I would say they need to focus on utilizing the strengths of the individual personnel, particularly the young officers,” Lucas said. “They have some phenomenal young officers — talented gogetters.”
The fire chief said he’ll miss “everything about the fire service” and was especially honored to serve as chief in Bangor.
“I’m a sports guy. It’s the equivalent to running an NFL team,” Lucas said.