KENT—Friends and colleagues flowed into the large meeting room at Town Hall Tuesday afternoon to wish Stan MacMillan bon chance as he moves on to the next phase of his career after 34 years as the town’s fire marshal.
MacMillan, who lives in Sharon, has served as fire marshal in five towns since first assuming the position in 1973—Kent, Sharon, where he was also building official, Cornwall, Falls Village and Warren. He said stepping back from being Kent’s fire marshal will allow him to work only four days a week. “It will be like being retired,” he said.
The selectmen acted last week to appoint Timothy Limbos, who has worked with MacMillan as a deputy fire marshal, to the position. “We’re switching,” said MacMillan Monday afternoon during his reception. “Now I will be the deputy fire marshal.”
Limbos is employed full-time in Ridgefield as a paramedic, firefighter and deputy fire marshal. He will not be in the Kent Town Hall on the same days each week, but, because he knows his rotating schedule a month in advance, will post his Kent schedule online. He will also, according to First Selectman Marty Lindenmayer, be doing more permitting online, making use of new technologies.
He will take over the position July 1 and will be paid $40 an hour. He is a long-time volunteer with the Kent fire department.
During MacMillan’s time as fire marshal, he has been responsible for the inspections of commercial properties and private schools and has responded to fires and emergency situations to determine their cause. Working in conjunction with the building official, he has reviewed, approved and inspected the construction of new commercial buildings ensuring that all construction meets the current fire codes.
MacMillan said he has “trained eight first selectmen” since he first took the Kent job. During his long tenure he has seen many changes as the job has “become more code oriented.”
“We do plan reviews for new buildings and renovations and inspections during construction,” he explained. “Then we do the final inspection.”
And like most people involved in emergency response teams or town jobs, he is required to take continuing training. “Every three years I have to do 90 hours of training as fire marshal and 90 hours as building inspector. It’s so hard to keep with the changes in the codes.”
In presenting MacMillan with a remembrance gift from the town, Lindenmayer remarked that “Stan has been taking care of us for years and we wish him the very best.”
MacMillan said it “has been a pleasure to work with everyone in Town Hall since the days when Maureen Brady was first selectman and Fran Johnson took me under her wing and marked down the roads for me and kept me on the straight and narrow. It’s been a great road to travel.”
