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Fire chief named Forest Fire Warden under Act 162; department outlines burn-permit process
Summary
Following changes in Act 162 (2026), Fire Chief Brett LaRose said the Fire Chief role is now assigned as the Forest Fire Warden and the Deputy Chief as Deputy Warden; the department described burn-permit issuance and state reporting duties. Draft job descriptions were shared with the Town Administrator.
The Selectboard heard a departmental update on changes to Vermont's forest-fire statutes under Act 162 of 2026. Fire Chief Brett LaRose told the board the statute assigns the Fire Chief to the Forest Fire Warden role and designates the Deputy Chief, Eric Forand, as Deputy Warden. Chief LaRose said he had provided draft job descriptions to Town Administrator Greg Faust for review.
Chief LaRose and Deputy Chief Forand outlined what the new responsibilities mean in practice, including local issuance of burn permits and accompanying reporting obligations required by state law, and they answered questions from board members about how the duties will be administered at the local level.
Town Administrator Greg Faust confirmed receipt of the draft job descriptions and said staff will review them to ensure municipal job descriptions and reporting processes align with the new statutory responsibilities.
