FREEPORT, Maine — Freeport Town Manager Peter Joseph announced Thursday that he would nominate former Rockland Fire Chief Charles Jordan Jr. as the town’s next fire chief following Darrel Fournier’s retirement last month.
Jordan’s name will be forwarded to the Freeport Town Council, which, according to the town charter, will consider the nomination for approval. If approved, Jordan would begin in his new position on Aug. 1, according to Joseph.
Jordan served as chief of the Rockland Fire Department for 10 years until his retirement in 2014, and has been a member of the department, both career and paid on-call, for 25 years, according to a resume forwarded by Joseph. He is now a call firefighter in Camden.
Jordan earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maine, according to his resume, and previously worked as a property appraiser, which Joseph said, along with budget and administration skills, were major factors in his selection.
“I am unapologetically a firefighters’ chief,” Jordan wrote in a May 10 letter to Joseph. “My core belief is that by caring deeply about the members of the department, those members will in turn form bonds with each other and care deeply for those they serve.”
According to Joseph, the town received more than 30 applications for the position, selected six candidates for interviews and narrowed the field to two finalists, who met individually with Joseph before he selected Jordan.
In a memo to the town council, Joseph wrote that Jordan was chief of a town of a similar size to Freeport, with a comparable mix of commercial and residential property, and a fire department similar to that of Freeport’s.