Swampscott fire chief assessment test nears

SWAMPSCOTT – The town could have a permanent fire chief in place for the first time in years by mid-October.Capt. Kevin Thomsen was appointed acting chief as of July 2, 2010 when former acting chief Michael Champion retired. Champion was appointed acting chief in July 2008 when Chief Richard Carmody retired. Carmody was the last permanent fire chief in town. In the past, the town hired permanent chiefs based on the results of the written service exam, but in recent years none of the individuals in the department who took the exam passed.The town had three options: have continued promotions based on the results of the written Civil Service chiefs exam, move to a Civil Service-based assessment center, or adopt an assessment center that is completely independent of Civil Service. After much discussion, the selectmen decided to move away from the written Civil Service exam to a Civil Service-based assessment center.The town has already contracted with MMA Consulting Group Inc., which is in the process of establishing the civil service-based assessment center. The city of Lynn also used MMA Consulting to administer the assessment for its new fire chief.Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said he expects the assessment center would be scheduled for Sept. 14 and he would be ready to make a recommendation to the selectmen regarding a permanent appointment by the middle of October.Maylor said Thomsen’s provisional appointment is contract-based and would remain in effect until a permanent chief is hired. The assessment process to hire a permanent fire chief is well under way and Maylor said he hopes to have a permanent chief in place by mid-October.