| HOPE VALLEY — Justin W. Lee, who will soon become the Hope Valley-Wyoming fire chief, has more than 20 years of experience in the business of firefighting.
Lee, 38, now a captain and training officer with the department, has quite the legacy to follow as he takes over as the district’s new chief in a few weeks. Lee succeeds Fred Stanley, 79, who is retiring after a 64-year career that included 51 years as the Hope Valley-Wyoming chief.
“He’ll always be my chief,” said Lee, speaking of Stanley.
Lee has worked with Stanley for many years and has been involved in fire service for most of his adult years. Lee, who was interviewed at length by not only his own department leaders but also by those from outside the tight-knit local fire group, was chosen from a field of five, all of them veteran firefighters. He will oversee 40 active members of the department.
The area covered by the district includes Interstate 95 from the Ashaway line to Exeter, creating much work for the volunteers who respond to numerous accidents on the highway along with their other duties. The department also serves a portion of Hopkinton and the Wyoming section of Richmond.
Lee said he considers Stanley a “progressive” leader who always kept updated on the newest firefighting strategies, funding sources and training. He intends to continue that legacy, he said, particularly emphasizing the replacement and repair of equipment in a timely manner. Lee and his family — wife Gina, a kindergarten teacher at the Ashaway School, and three boys, Collin, 8, Dayton, 6 and Colton, 3 — lived until recently on the grounds of Camp Yawgoog, the 1,800-acre Boy Scout camp in Rockville. In his work at the camp, he managed the grounds, 75 structures and vehicles, as well as leading staff training while serving as a volunteer firefighter.
Originally from New Milford, Conn., the former Eagle Scout served as a longtime ranger while also volunteering with the Hope Valley-Wyoming department since 1995. Lee attended the camp as a scout and transitioned to the summer staff at the camp in 1989. Since then, he has served in various capacities while also obtaining an associate’s degree in fire science along the way.
During his tenure with the Hope Valley department, Lee said he implemented an online training program to ensure that firefighters have easy access to continually update their training.
Lee was the district’s Firefighter of the Year in 2007, Volunteer of the Year in 1999 and 2002, and received the Dedicated Service Award in 1997, 2004 and 2013, as well as the Special Service Award in 1998 and 2006.
Lee, also a trained emergency medical technician, said his salary is being negotiated, but Stanley’s annual pay is about $67,000, which is considered fairly low compared to similar positions around the state, particularly with the number of hours a full-time chief puts in.
He also made sure to thank his wife for her patience and support in being married to a firefighter, with a job that takes him away at all times of the day and night.
Lee said he will continue to look to Stanley for leadership and knows the longtime chief’s legacy will remain intact as he assumes his duties. Although he hopes to begin as chief during the second week of July, Lee’s official swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, July 15.
aalgier@thewesterlysun.com |
