OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Former Portland Fire Chief Frederick LaMontagne has been hired as the town of Old Orchard Beach’s new fire chief.

LaMontagne was unanimously voted in by the Town Council on Tuesday night. He fills a position vacated by Ed Dube, who retired in April. Sherman Lahaie has served as the interim chief.

LaMontagne will earn an annual salary of $92,000.

The committee interviewed six candidates and unanimously chose LaMontagne, said Town Manager Larry Mead.

LaMontagne worked in the Portland Fire Department for 28 years, and rose through the ranks, serving as fire chief for 10 years, Mead said.

LaMontagne began his career as a call force member of the Gorham Fire Department at age 15, and continued as an active member in Gorham after being hired in Portland until he became the city’s fire chief, Mead said.

While in the Gorham Fire Department’s call force, LaMontagne served as lieutenant, captain and deputy chief, Mead said.

While working as the assistant city manager in Portland, Mead said, he had the opportunity to work directly with LaMontagne for four years.

“I witnessed first hand the excellent work that he did during his tenure as Portland’s fire chief,” Mead said. “He has outstanding communication skills, and he has proven management capabilities in multiple areas including budget and finance, personnel and labor relations. He’s a great collaborator, he’s a problem solver, and he’s committed to community outreach and community interaction.”

Mead said he was excited to have the opportunity to work with LaMontagne in Old Orchard Beach.

“I’m confident that under Chief LaMontagne’s leadership, our Old Orchard Beach Fire Department is going to rise to a level of excellence that’s going to make it a model for other communities in Maine,” Mead said.

LaMontagne will be coming to the Old Orchard Beach Department after a break from the public sector. After retiring from the Portland Fire Department in January 2012 at age 48, he worked for seven years at Majella Global Technology, a software company in Portland, with his last position there as chief executive officer, according to his LinkedIn profile.

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