RUMFORD – John Woulfe was looking for a challenge when he applied for the position of Rumford fire chief in 1999. He got it.

Now, nine years later, he’s decided that it’s time to move on. He’s done what he set out to do in Rumford, and an opportunity to move to the next level in the fire service has come from the International Association of Fire Chiefs in Washington, D.C.

His last day on the job at the 80-year-old brick fire station on Congress Street is April 5. On April 14, he’ll be behind a desk in the country’s capital as assistant director of national programs.

“I always said I wanted to be a fire chief where I could make a difference” said Woulfe, 47. “This is a profession.”

He said he believes that not only has the level of professionalism been raised since he came to Rumford, but also the culture in the Fire Department. “The firefighters are proud.”

The emergency medical first responder program he introduced a year after he began his duties has become a model for the state.

In the days and weeks after 9/11, the Fire Department held the state firefighters convention. Then, along with virtually every fire service, police department and other, emergency service in the country, training changed and the way emergency services were provided changed.

The amount of training firefighters must undergo has doubled since 9/11, so they can tackle virtually any emergency, from terrorist attacks to dealing with weapons of mass destruction.

“Our role changed. Now we’re first responders for any emergency,” he said, adding that police departments are as well.

Woulfe, who grew up in Northfield, N.J., and was named honorary battalion chief for the New York Fire Department in the 1990s, lost many good friends during the 9/11 attack.

“It was difficult that morning watching what was unfolding. I knew I’d know a lot of the people involved,” he said.

He expected the Rumford Fire Department to be an active department, particularly because of the presence of a paper mill in town. But he didn’t expect it to be quite as active as it turned out to be, and with fewer resources and equipment than needed to battle the many emergencies that faced the area.

That included car crashes. The number of extrications has been high. Then there were fires and explosions at the mill, a rash of single-family home fires, a multi-alarm five-building fire in the Virginia section of town, and another fire in that same section of town that resulted in two deaths. And then there are the emergency measures taken to deal with flooding throughout the years.

During his tenure, new, updated and upgraded equipment arrived and strengthened the department, he said.

The department’s ability to make do with what’s necessary was an eye-opening experience for him. He came to Rumford from the West Hartford, Connecticut fire department where he was the lieutenant/ and became what he believes is the first fire chief who was not originally from the Rumford area.

“We had a lot of resources. Here, we have to improvise. The firefighters really have to use their imagination to get things done,” he said, adding that no situation is ideal. “But that’s no excuse for why we can’t be a professional fire department. A fire is a fire, an emergency is an emergency.”

A combination of factors prompted him to get back to his urban roots.

He believes he has helped professionalize the department, with the help of the members in it. He has brought many parts of the department up to standard. And, he’s concerned about the lack of direction the town often seems to have.

“There is no planning, but crisis management. A fire service is supposed to be part of the community. The selectmen seem to be going in one direction and the Fire Department in another,” he said.

But he believes the town has great potential, “If people are given a chance.”

He could have left earlier for the new job, but wanted to wait until the budget building process was complete, he said.

Woulfe’s years in Rumford have been worthwhile ones, but during the past year he has felt like he has hit a plateau, and he’s ready for the next step in his career.

“When a new chief takes over, that person can take the department to the next level,” he said.

He’ll be returning to Maine in the same way his first visits were made to the state – as a tourist.