WESTHAMPTON — The Selectboard voted to accept the recommendation of current Capt. David Antosz as the town’s new fire chief Monday night.
The Fire Chief Search Subcommittee presented the board with Antosz as their candidate for the job over Mark Gould, a deputy chief and EMT. The three-person Selectboard unanimously agreed with the subcommittee’s choice, said Phil Dowling, chairman of the Selectboard and a member of the subcommittee.
Dowling said Antosz still has to pass background, financial and CORI checks, which should be completed before the board’s Aug. 19 meeting. If he passes these checks, Antosz will become the fire chief, he said.
Though the Fire Department is mostly volunteer, Dowling said Antosz would be paid $13,100 annually as a part-time town employee.
“We are very confident and we are very happy that Dave stepped up,” Dowling said. “I think he’s a great choice and I think he will do a wonderful job.”
Antosz said Tuesday that although he was excited to begin work as the new chief, he was daunted by the legacy left behind by his predecessor Christopher Norris, who stepped down this week after 12 years as chief and 25 years with the department.
“It’s certainly going to be a very big learning experience,” he said.
Antosz said he has come to rely heavily on the input of the volunteer firefighters in the department, and that he was planning on keeping that line of communication open when he’s chief.
“I would hope that my success is being able to gain the input from what their expertise and experience might be and use that to make a decision,” Anotsz said.
Making sure that firefighters on the force stay safe when out on a call is one of his main priorities as incoming chief, Antosz said, noting that they are stepping up to help others, he said.
“I’d like to think that people can provide service to the town and go home at night and feel good about it, and not be hurt,” he said.
John Zimmerman, a firefighter on the search subcommittee, said members had a difficult time choosing between Antosz and Gould, and he was afraid they would be “deadlocked.”
“They were very, very similar, and that’s what made the decision so damn difficult,” Zimmerman said.
He said the subcommittee members felt strongly that they had to come to a consensus opinion, rather than just a simple majority. In the end, they decided on choosing Antosz after hours of deliberation, he said.
“My sense was that it was really a coin toss,” he said.
He said the Selectboard accepted the recommendation without any discussion.
Assistant Fire Chief Steve Holt will serve as acting chief of the department until Antosz’s background checks clear.
Michael Connors can be reached at mconnors@gazettenet.com.