Falmouth Select Board appoints Jeff Lewis as Fire Rescue Chief and temporarily waives residency rule

The Select Board on Feb. 23 voted to appoint Jeff Lewis as the next fire rescue chief for the Town of Falmouth and approved a temporary waiver of the department-head residency requirement to allow him time to relocate.

Town Manager Renshaw told the board the town received 35 applications, used Public Safety Consultants LLC to run an assessment center and selected Lewis after a multi-stage process that included a resident interview panel and on-site assessments. Renshaw said Lewis brings more than 31 years of career fire-service experience, command of urban search-and-rescue operations and leadership of large programs.

Jeff Lewis spoke briefly to the board, saying he was "truly honored to be considered for appointment" and that he respected Falmouth's history and work. In response to board questions about collective bargaining and crisis communications, Lewis described his experience working with bargaining agreements and his public information (PIO) experience in Fairfax County.

Select Board member Brown moved to appoint Lewis; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Brown then moved to waive the department-head residency requirement temporarily; that motion was also seconded and approved.

The board did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript; outcomes were announced by voice as "Aye." The manager said staff will negotiate a start date with Lewis and that Lewis indicated an intention to relocate contingent on the board's approval.

The appointment also included expressions of appreciation to Acting Chief Chad Abston for his emergency-management work during the recent winter storm. The board's actions tonight complete the appointment and authorize staff to implement next steps, including finalizing a start date and addressing residency paperwork.