12 April, 2016
HCAM news recently talked to Hopkinton Fire Chief, Stephen Slaman. At the April 5th Selectmen meeting, the Board approved Slaman as the Chief on a permanent basis. Stephen Slaman was the final candidate in the initial search process after the other final candidate, current Framingham Chief, Gary Daugherty dropped his candidacy just prior to a Selectmen meeting in December.
Selectmen initially decided to reopen the search process while appointing Stephen Slaman as Interim Chief. Many residents expressed disagreement with the decision to reopen the search process during the public forum at the following meeting in January. Selectmen readdressed the Fire Chief position at the January 5th meeting and decided to appoint Stephen Slaman as Fire Chief until the final day in March and in the meantime decide if the search process should be reopened.
At the April 5th meeting, Selectmen complimented and expressed satisfaction with Stephen Slaman and officially appointed him Hopkinton Chief on a permanent basis. I asked Chief Stephen Slaman his thoughts about the process; "I knew they had to look hard, the Fire Chief spot is the top spot and I knew they needed to make sure they had the right person in the top spot. For me, I knew I had to do my work and bring my A game...it wasn't such a struggle for me, I kind of understood where they were"
Hear more of the interview with Fire Chief, Stephen Slaman below as he discusses the transition into the Fire Chief role and the Fire Department's role in preparing for the Boston Marathon.
