LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen Tuesday night, Feb. 21, appointed Nathan Guptill as Fire Chief.

“Pay has not been discussed yet, will be about the same as [former Fire Chief Mike Booker],” interim Town Manager Alexander “Alex” Pawson said in a phone interview Thursday morning. “Booker was at $20.34 per hour when he left.”

Guptill met with the fire department Wednesday night, there were five firefighters, two selectmen and Pawson in attendance, Pawson said. It was Guptill’s first official act, he noted. It was upbeat, jovial, there was laughing, people seemed OK with the decision, were moving forward, he added.

Guptill replaces Bobby Cummins who was named interim Fire Chief in January after interim chief Curt Melcher resigned in September. Melcher was the fourth department leader to resign in 15 months. Mike Booker, Scott Shink and Edward Hastings IV also stepped down during that time.

The Fire Chief search had six applicants, five of whom were scheduled for interviews, Pawson said. “Four showed up, two from Livermore Falls, one from Livermore and one from Dixfield.”

Guptill of Livermore was the former Fire Chief in Turner, Pawson said. He left in July, he added.

“I enjoy helping people,” Guptill said by phone later Thursday. “I was the Fire Chief in Turner for the last four years, resigned in July. I miss it.”

Guptill said one of his goals was to get a junior firefighting program started in Livermore Falls. “I started in that with Turner 20 years ago,” he said.

Guptill was Turner’s first junior firefighter, starting at 16 according to a July 8, 2022, post on the Turner Fire Department Facebook page.

Getting the Livermore Falls Fire Department back on track is another goal, Guptill said.

In a related matter Tuesday, selectmen suggested the agreement to pay Livermore and Jay for nonurgent fire calls be extended. The agreement signed by the three towns was to expire March 1.

Jay either started enforcing or created a new rule that those serving on the Jay Fire Department can’t be on another one, Pawson said. Two Livermore Falls members on both departments resigned, stayed with Jay, he noted.

Livermore Falls has two new hires, leaving a net gain of zero, Pawson said. “Four are in the pipeline, one is very close to being hired by the end of the month,” he stated. “We are always looking.”

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