Durham board acknowledges resignation of Fire Chief Trip; interim administrative coverage planned

The Durham select board acknowledged receipt of Fire Chief Trip's resignation at its meeting and discussed interim coverage and next steps for filling the position.

Town manager Sherry told the board the chief had submitted a resignation letter and that the town would look to fill the post as soon as practical. In the meantime, she said the town will enter into a temporary hire to handle administrative duties — described as fewer than 10 hours per week — to assist with transition tasks such as payroll and time-sensitive administrative items. Operational responses would continue to rely on the department's chain of command and mutual-aid agreements with neighboring communities.

A board member praised Chief Trip's five years of leadership, citing the department's improved culture, grant awards the chief brought to town, and enhanced mutual-aid relationships with surrounding professional departments. "The amount of grant money he brought into this community ... is huge," the member said, and called his leadership "an amazing thing to watch." The board noted Chief Trip indicated he would remain to help with transition and town meeting preparations.

Board members discussed that in the event of an incident, the most senior officer on scene would assume incident command and mutual-aid partners would assist as needed. The full-time EMS administrator will continue weekday EMS coverage, the board said. The town will proceed with posting job descriptions and a search for a replacement while arranging the temporary administrative support.

The board did not set a hiring timeline at the meeting and will return to staffing and budget questions in future sessions.