After he retired from the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, fire department in 2001 following more than 20 years of service, Ricky Plummer jumped from job to job so often, officials in one of the towns he served reportedly expressed concern.
In September 2014 — after stints in North Yarmouth, Biddeford, Gray and Standish in Maine; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Cocoa, Florida — Plummer became the new fire chief of Old Orchard Beach.
He was relieved of that command on Friday, the same day investigators descended on the fire department and seized Plummer’s computer, cell phone and other materials.
The next day, Plummer, 59, was arrested at his mother-in-law’s home in Scarborough and charged with arson in connection with a seven-alarm brush and woods fire on April 15 that forced the evacuation of several homes and a condominium complex, and took about 100 firefighters from several communities two hours to extinguish.
Old Orchard Beach Town Manager Larry Mead said in a statement that Plummer was placed on administrative leave until further notice. Mead did not respond to a query whether the leave is paid or unpaid.
Plummer has been charged with starting a fire that burned about 42 acres in the town he had pledged to protect. Arson is a Class A crime that carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.
On Friday, about a dozen investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Maine Forest Service arrived in Old Orchard Beach with search warrants and seized computers at the fire station and in the fire chief ’s town-owned car, along with Plummer’s cell phone, according to Maine Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland.
After interviewing Plummer, investigators consulted with the York County District Attorney’s Office, which authorized the arson charge against him, McCausland said.
Authorities allege that Plummer started the April 15 fire that prompted the evacuation of homes and buildings on Walnut Street and East Grand Avenue after fire swept through dune grass in an area known as Jones Creek Marsh.
The wind-whipped brush fire reached heights of up to 30 feet, and came within 100 feet of one condominium complex.
“The winds were unbelievable,” said Plummer in an interview at the scene on that day. “The fire was going past us like a freight train.”
No buildings were damaged, and no one was injured. Smoke from the fire could be seen as far away as Interstate 95, and debris and smoke permeated the air several blocks away from the blaze.
Plummer remained at Cumberland County Jail over the weekend in lieu of $10,000 bail. He could make a first appearance at Springvale District Court as early as today.
In August 2011, Plummer resigned as fire chief in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and left the same day after working there since March 2010, according to a story in the Main Street Journal in Marlborough.
According to the story, the Marlborough personnel committee had expressed concern about Plummer’s frequent job changes following his retirement in 2001 from the Portsmouth Fire Department after more than 20 years. The online newspaper reported that Plummer decided to take on a role as a “fix-it” chief, solving problems within departments and then moving on.
He was hired as assistant chief of fire operations in Albemarle County, Virginia, in fall 2004, but it is unclear whether he ever fully took up that position; online records show his appointment, but later refer to him returning to Maine because of a family member’s health problems.
Plummer was chosen as OOB’s fire chief from among 30 applicants, said Mead in 2014.
In his statement, Mead said day-to-day fire department operations will be under the direction of the command staff, whom he described as highly qualified and experienced.
“I want to reassure the residents of old Orchard Beach that the public safety needs of the Town will continue to be fully served,” he said in the statement.
Mead said because the Plummer matter is a personnel issue that is considered confidential under Maine law – and because there is an active criminal investigation – the town will not comment further regarding Plummer’s administrative leave or the underlying issues involved.