Old Town has opted to hire fire and police chiefs instead of filling its public safety director position, which has been vacant since mid-December.
Kyle Milan, who was hired last September as the deputy fire chief, began his role as chief on Monday. Before joining Old Town’s department, he spent 22 years in the Maine Air National Guard. He was a firefighter and climbed the ranks to become chief overseeing the Bangor International Airport, he said.
“The department has a great group of people, and I have really enjoyed helping lead them in the community,” he said about his new role as chief.
Old Town’s former public safety director, Scott Wilcox, stepped down in December to become chief executive officer at the Old Town-Orono YMCA. He held the position for six years. The city had plans to fill the position and began advertising it in January, City Manager Bill Mayo said previously.
The city did not get any applicants for the position, so it decided to seek a fire chief and police chief, he said Tuesday.
“When that happened, we got around 12 applications that we considered for each position,” he said. “Once those were reviewed, it got narrowed to four finalists for each position and interviews were scheduled.”
Milan, who will oversee 24 firefighters, plans to “continue on and prove that Old Town is a top-notch fire response agency in the area,” he said.
He hopes to bring back traditions like a gathering for former and retired firefighters at the department. A reunion is set for September.
There are two candidates, including one internal and the other external, remaining for police chief, Mayo said. Their interviews are scheduled for May 14.