Pepperell Selectmen Interview Two Finalists for Town's First Appointed Fire Chief

PEPPERELL — March 6, 2017 — Pepperell moves toward naming its first charter-mandated fire chief, with a decision set for March 20. The Board of Selectmen on Monday interviewed two finalists — Michael N. Gamache, the third-ranking officer in the 200-member Manchester, New Hampshire Fire Department, and Edward L. "Toby" Tyler III, who has served Pepperell since 1987 and has been its chief engineer since 2007. The 2014 Town Charter requires the appointment by the end of March and specifies that the Board of Fire Engineers will be dissolved upon the chief taking office. Tyler presented a restructuring plan that would reduce captains from four to three and increase lieutenants from four to six, at a net budget savings, and reported that ambulance billing revenue is $140,000 ahead of the same point last year after a switch to Coastal Billing; Gamache, citing "very minimal" budget experience, emphasized adaptive leadership and communication skills honed over 34 years in a high-volume career department.