At a special meeting at the town office on Aug. 10, the Woolwich Board of Selectmen appointed a search committee to assist in the hiring of a new fire chief.

Selectman Jason Shaw will serve as interim chairman of the committee, which includes Woolwich Fire Dept. Capt. Glen Kirkpatrick, two residents, Bill Potter and Fred Kahrl, and Dresden Fire Chief Steve Lilly.

The town began advertising for a new fire chief this past week. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Aug. 31. The fire chief is responsible for administrative tasks, including training and record keeping of training, supervision of firefighting, and fire prevention activities. The fire chief also has supervision over the town’s EMS director.

A full description of the position is available from the town administrator at 207-442-7094, or at the Woolwich town office in the municipal building, 13 Nequasset Road.

According to the town report, the position pays an annual stipend of $7,284. The fire chief also receives $10 per hour when responding to an emergency call, and while training.

Shaw said the committee will meet for the first time 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 13. The first order of business will be to elect a chairman and vice chairman. After the application period closes, the committee will be tasked with screening the applicants.

“After that we’ll schedule interviews,” he said. When the search committee is through, they’ll make a recommendation to the selectmen.

In recent years, the selectmen have appointed the fire chief for a 3-year term. Shaw said the length of the new fire chief’s appointment would be left up to the board and likely include a probationary period.

At the direction of the board, the search committee will follow Maine Municipal Association’s hiring guidelines, which include adhering to rules of confidentiality. Shaw said the committee would come up with a series of questions that will be asked of all the applicants they plan to interview.

Woolwich is somewhat different from other neighboring towns in appointing a fire chief. Wiscasset and Dresden both allow their fire department’s membership to elect their fire chief, who is then appointed by the board of selectmen. Shaw noted that in Dresden the fire chief’s appointment also needs approval by the townspeople at town meeting.

The selectmen appointed Domenic Maccio to serve as acting fire chief following the resignation of Geoffrey McCarren.

Saying he wanted to devote more time to his family and business, McCarren gave his two-week notice to the board on July 20. He had served as Woolwich’s fire chief for eight years. The board thanked McCarren for his service and accepted his resignation “with regret.”