Residents, town officials and members of the Kennebunkport Fire Department, are mourning the loss of Fire Chief Allan Moir, 63, who died Sunday, Dec. 24 following a battle with cancer.
Moir, who served as Kennebunkport’s fire chief since 2010, was also the superintendent of the Wastewater Department, a job he held since moving to town with his wife, Donna, in 1981.
Selectman Sheila Matthews-Bull worked with Moir for many years and said the board was always comfortable with his leadership.
“Whatever he presented to us, whether it was for the fire department, or the sewer department, it was always spot on, and he was very thorough. He looked ahead really well, and we always appreciated that,” Matthews-Bull said.
In the fire department, Scott Lantagne and Jim Burrows have been sharing the duties of acting fire chief since March, as Moir’s illness took him away from his duties.
Lantagne said Moir was a quiet, reserved leader, who would do anything for anyone without a single thought of himself.
“I think he really enjoyed being a firefighter,” Lantagne said.
Fire Administrator Dick Stedman said Moir was a scuba diver, and performed water rescues, and trained other divers. Moir was also highly trained in hazardous materials and was a member of the York County Hazmat team.
Lantagne said Moir told him stories about deep water scuba diving at the wreckage of the Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner that collided with another ship and sank into the Atlantic Ocean off Nantucket in 1956.
“He told me he did that a couple of times, and I always thought that was pretty cool,” Lantagne said.
Lantagne said the chief was a very active administrator, interfacing with town officials easily and keeping them up to date on what was needed for the department. He said Moir was instrumental in recent new truck purchases for the department, and always kept up with new technology in fire fighting that would help his department keep the community safe and protected.
“Allan always had a plan and a long range goal whether it was the replacement of trucks, or updating our extrication tools,” he said.
Stedman said Moir was never reticent about replacing equipment as new technology came along.
“He knew what his crews needed, and he was not afraid to ask for it,” he said.
Chairman of the Board of Selectmen Pat Briggs said while the fire department was close to Moir’s heart, he admired him for his role with the Wastewater Department as well.
“He was so knowledgeable. When I first joined the board, he and I spent three hours touring the plant, and he gave me all of the background and information. I have a great deal of admiration for how he tackled his job,” Briggs said.
Briggs said he had a very good relationship with Moir, and he appreciated the detailed nature with which he tackled all of his roles with the town.
“I can’t remember a time when someone had a question that he couldn’t answer. He always knew what we were looking for,” Briggs said.
Both Matthews-Bull and Briggs said they, and others in town checked on Moir in recent months. They said even in recent weeks he remained upbeat in his fight, and devoted to the town.
“He was just a pleasure,” Matthews-Bull said.
“He did so much for the town. He knew that we cared about him,” Briggs said.
Services for Moir will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 at the Kennebunkport Village Fire Station at 32 North St.
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