OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Ricky Plummer will begin as the new fire chief on Sept. 8.

The town council voted unanimously Tuesday, with Councilors Kenneth Blow and Shawn O’Neil absent, to approve the appointment of Plummer, with a salary of $66,500.

Plummer will replace former fire chief John Glass, who retired at the end of June. Fire Captain John Fitzpatrick is acting as interim fire chief.

Plummer is currently the fire chief in North Yarmouth. He has also worked in Biddeford, Gray and Standish, as well as Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Cocoa, Florida.

Plummer was one of 30 applicants for the position, said Town Manager Larry Mead.

Mead said when the Biddeford Fire Department was under Plummer’s direction, Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach had a strong mutual aid agreement.

Mead said Plummer “reinvigorated” the call force in North Yarmouth, and in two years it rose from 6 to 26 call members and “transformed” the department from one that didn’t have enough personnel at calls to one that has more than enough.

Mead said Plummer also has experience with obtaining grant money and conducting capital budgets.

Plummer owns a home in Biddeford and plans to move to Old Orchard Beach within a year, said Mead.

Plummer thanked the town council. He said he was looking forward to working in the town and he thought Old Orchard Beach was “a good fit.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or [email protected].