New fire chief takes reins at Rescue, too

From left, newly appointed Lebanon Fire and Rescue Chief Daniel Meehan, along with Selectman Paul Philbrick, Royce Heath and Ben Thompson (Courtesy Town of Lebanon)

LEBANON - Longtime Rochester firefighter and EMT Daniel Meehan has been sworn in as the town's new fire chief and will take over the running of the Rescue Department as well, according to a press release sent today by Lebanon Selectmen Chairman Ben Thompson. The release did not state whether Meehan had been officially sworn in as Rescue Chief.

"As selectmen were filling the vacant chief's position in the fire department, the head of the town's rescue department, Jenny Sheriff, also made known her intentions to step down, leaving yet another vacancy in the towns emergency response department," the release states. "Town officials saw this as an opportunity to streamline their EMS services, joining the two separate entities, fire and rescue, together as one organization. Chief Meehan, when asked, readily agreed to step in and fill both roles as Fire and EMS Chief."

It was not immediately known when or where the swearing-in ceremony took place or if the public was invited.

Chief Meehan's resume includes 34 years of firefighting experience. He has held an EMT license since 1994.

Meehan worked in plant protection at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, where he became a hazardous materials technician, the release states.

In his career he has also seen his share of challenges, the release states. At one fire Meehan suffered a broken back in a roof incident. After another call, he required surgery to reattach the ACL to his knee. After both of these injuries, Meehan said he could have left the fire service on permanent disability, but chose not to.
"I could have given up and taken the easy way out, but that's not me. If nothing else, it's taught me no matter how hard things get, you never give up. If you love what you do, you can overcome a lot."