After announcing that he would not be renewing his contract this past May, John Judson, the former Fire Chief of Fire District 1 stepped down in late June. Judson had been fire chief for four years.

While he decided to seek other opportunities, Judson, who has been with the station for 40 years, will remain an active firefighter. Jake Bettencourt, the former deputy chief and Judson’s cousin, will act as chief in the interim. Bettencourt has been with the district for 33 years.

“I come from a family of firefighters. Both of my grandfathers were on this department. My dad was on for 30 years,” Bettencourt said, adding that his two uncles and brother-in-laws were also involved.

“Firefighting is really heritage-based. Many folks that have a military background, you see family members take that next step. They see it as an obligation to follow in their footsteps. Firefighting or police work, people share in that same desire to keep that heritage going,” he said.

In addition to being the acting fire chief, Bettencourt works full time as the marketing director of Colonial Wholesale Beverage.

Bettencourt said the Prudential Committee, which is the governing body of the fire district, is currently putting together the job description. In a couple weeks, the job will be posted for approximately 14 days. The hiring process will take a few months.

While he said he would not be applying for the position, Bettencourt noted that if someone from the department were to apply, there are “highly skilled individuals that are far more than sufficient to act as fire chief.”

He noted that the job is a lot more than being the one in charge. It’s about being part of a community.

“The best part about this job is working with people who are dedicating themselves to protecting their neighbors,” said Bettencourt.