Westbrook’s newly named Fire Chief Steve Sloan, formerly the assistant chief, speaks at a press conference Monday. Chance Viles / American Journal
Steve Sloan, interim Westbook fire chief for the past six months, has been named the permanent chief.
Sloan replaces Andrew Turcotte, who resigned last fall. He joined the department in 2015 as assistant chief and previously worked for 11 years at the Scarborough Fire Department.
Sloan stood out among about a dozen candidates for the job because of his familiarity with and “understanding of Westbrook,” Mayor Mike Foley said at a press conference Monday.
“Steve brings to the Fire and Rescue Department a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of fire and rescue operations, along with a keen insight into the challenges faced by our community and the fire and emergency medical services,” Foley said. “His passion to serve our city will carry him through this role.”
In an interview after the announcement Monday, Sloan said one of his major priorities as chief will be to complete the accreditation process for the department, which, he said, takes meticulous record-keeping and training.
“We will continue to work towards that as the golden standard of a department,” he said.
He also looks forward to implementing more workshops and information sessions for the city’s senior residents, a growing population that has resulted in more emergency calls to the department, he said.
“We will initiate fall prevention, among other things, to focus on safety in our senior housing facilities,” he said.
He’ll also be looking at the need to bump up staffing.
“We had six calls (Monday) morning, and we called for Portland and Gorham, but they were unable to help because they were already sent on other calls,” Sloan said. “So we are keeping a diligent eye on our calls and may have to look at staffing.”
Sloan will be officially sworn in tentatively June 6.
The city will work to fill the assistant chief’s position immediately, Foley said.
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