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Frank True, a fire service veteran who has served since June as Harpswell’s interim fire administrator, has been hired permanently for the position.
The Select Board voted 3-0 on Aug. 13 to give the $67,000-a-year job to True, who took over after the death of previous Fire Administrator Mike Drake.
“We could search but we certainly wouldn’t find anyone better,” said Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson. “He’s local. He certainly knows his business. He’s been absolutely dedicated to this job so far.”
True said he looks forward to continuing his work with the town’s firefighting staff and volunteer departments, and to helping steer the construction of a new central emergency services building near the town hall.
“I’m honored that they have the confidence in me and I’m going to work hard” to prove town leaders right, True, 58, said in an interview. “Being able to serve my community in that capacity — I never thought the opportunity would come along.”
True and his wife, Lisa — a Harpswell native — moved to town in 1989 and raised their three children here. A career firefighter, True began serving as a volunteer with Harpswell Neck Fire and Rescue in the 1990s and became a U.S. Navy fire lieutenant in 2001 at the Brunswick Naval Air Station.
He joined the federal Department of Veterans Affairs in 2005 and worked his way up to overseeing the agency’s 20 fire departments, directing roughly 350 emergency personnel and managing a $45 million budget.
True retired from that post last year, but said he is happy to step into his new role at a time when the town is moving toward providing more municipal emergency services as the corps of volunteer responders shrinks.
True said he would emphasize fiscal responsibility, transparent communications, and keeping his team healthy as they help residents on their most difficult days. “My number one priority is my people — seeing they have the tools they need to do the job safely.”
