LINCOLNVILLE — Since June 2013, when then-Lincolnville Deputy Fire Chief Ben Hazen was appointed by the Board of Selectmen to serve as the town's new fire chief, he has been working side-by-side with the man who is poised Monday night to be his successor.

A former fire chief in Glenburn, and then Camden, Steve Gibbons is on the Lincolnville Select Board's agenda for Jan. 23. In Lincolnville, the fire department selects its new chief, who then meets with the select board in executive session, followed by official appointment to the position.

Hazen, 41, has been in the fire service since 1995. He served as fire chief twice in town, the first time from 2008-2010, and then again from 2013 to the present.

As to why he is stepping down this time, Hazen said, "I have always been giving to everyone for as long as I can remember, and I need to start giving back to my family. My family is young, and it's time to give to them. Nobody influenced me, I just hit a road block in my life and wanted to change."

Hazen got married in 2015 and welcomed his first child, a girl, a year later.

Since becoming fire chief in 2013, Hazen also retired from the National Guard. He said he wasn't having fun there either, but like the fire service, it took a while to build up.

"I do have PTSD from the Army, it's a thing, but I wake up every day and if I can put my feet on the floor, it's a good day," said Hazen. "I don't think being on the fire department is any more stressful than anything else in my life, but I just wanted to alleviate some of it so I did. I'm pretty happy now."

Hazen said as soon as he let his fellow firefighters know of his decision, which he said was a surprise to everyone, his decision to stop wearing his pager and not be a part of the fire department brought the instant break he needed.

"To make yourself happy first, is the most important," said Hazen, who co-owns Andrews Brewing with his father. "I plan to keep our business working the way it is, doing my part there and being with my family more."

He said he wished everyone at the fire department well, and said he thinks Gibbons is "a glutton for punishment" for being willing to take on another job as chief in another town.

"I mean that nicely, tongue-in-cheek. He understands where I'm coming from, having been the chief in Glenburn and Camden prior to coming to Lincolnville," said Hazen.

"He will do very well, he knows what he is doing, he is a great firefighter and he fits right in with everyone there," said Hazen.

Without prompting, Hazen said that he will probably eventually go back into the fire service, but then hedged by saying "but I really haven't decided."

Gibbons has an inkling that Hazen will indeed come back after some time away. That's what happened to him when he hung up his gear after leaving Camden and took a job as a dispatcher, first in Bangor and then in Knox County.

"For about six months, I was at a desk dispatching calls and then I realized I was on the wrong side of the radio," said Gibbons. "I wasn't really ready to get done so I joined Lincolnville in 2009, when I started working at Hannaford in Camden."

He said it's likely that Hazen will do the same thing, after he's had some time away.

"I think it will be a good break for him. And he will probably be like me and come back to it. But like he said, he has a young family and you don't understand how important that is until you are in that situation. It's good to step away from the emergency stuff and be with your family. You can decompress and then eventually come back and not feel frustrated or whatever he might be feeling," said Gibbons. "I know the guys have been talking to him, and they will welcome back. They were surprised about his decision, but they understand."

As he prepares to don the white chief's hat, Gibbons said that when he steps in he believes it's his job to train the next group of individuals to step up, or even into his position. He said it takes a lot of training to groom the next potential fire chief.

Luckily, he said, he has a good, active, young group of firefighters to work with. Currently, there are around 24 or 25 firefighters in Lincolnville. When he left Glenburn, there were around 35 there and when he left Camden, they had more than 40. He said that his role in Lincolnville, working up through ranks to chief, is similar to how he worked in Glenburn, where he started in the fire service in 1980 at the ground floor.

"I want to try to get us more organized. I don't see a lot of changes coming in the department, but rather take the people we have and work from within. The assistant chiefs have been real great, and they want to take on more responsibility. That will be good, as that will put them in the position to step up to their next roles too," said Gibbons.

He said that the interest at the fire department in Lincolnville is "phenomenal," and that they have a lot of young guys who really want to "do stuff." So the role for middle chiefs, said Gibbons, is to help them do what they need to do and to them grow in the fire service.

"It's going to be giving them the opportunity to get the experience, to look at them and say, that will work, but I have found over the years that this might work better. But we are lucky that as they are gung-ho, they are not a dangerous gung-ho. They are willing to listen, to learn, and if they have any input, we told them we want to hear it, but that the fire ground is not the place to discuss it. Afterward, there is time to discuss and give and receive suggestions and recommendations," said Gibbons. "We will have an open door policy for input during training and debriefs. That's where you can really sit down and say, how can you do this better."

Following his successful appointment to the position Monday night, Gibbons begins immediately, giving a department report to the Select Board along with other department heads.

Related link:

• Ben Hazen tapped as Lincolnville's new fire chief

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6655.