Todd Germain retires as Portsmouth fire chief. New leaders are known in community.

PORTSMOUTH — Though Fire Chief Todd Germain is retiring, the city's Fire Department will continue to be guided by leaders with decades of Portsmouth experience.

Current assistant chief Bill McQuillen, a 32-year veteran of the department nominated by the Portsmouth Fire Commission in July to replace Germain, will begin in the new role Wednesday. McQuillen’s contract is slated to be approved by the City Council in mid-September.

Jason Gionet, a five-year Portsmouth fire captain who spent a decade as lieutenant, is the city commission’s unanimous nominee to become assistant chief for McQuillen. The three-member Portsmouth Fire Commission last week interviewed Gionet, who joined the city fire department in 1999, and voted to move him forward for the promotion.

"Jay and I have known each other for most of our careers, so I think moving forward it's going to be an easy symmetry for us to work together," McQuillen said.

A new contract for Gionet will also require eventual City Council approval.

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“It’s bittersweet,” Gionet said inside the downtown Station 1 on Tuesday morning. “I’ve enjoyed my time working as a captain, working on the floor, going on calls with the firefighters. But the time has come to move up and be able to work to promote the department from the front office and continue to move the department forward in conjunction with Chief McQuillen.”

After 30 years of firefighting, all but two of which have been in Portsmouth, Germain is retiring from the service altogether on Wednesday. Joining the Portsmouth Fire Department in 1994 after two years as a firefighter in Durham, Germain has held titles such as firefighter/EMT-intermediate, lieutenant/EMT-paramedic, captain, shift commander and senior captain before his run as chief began in 2019.

Like Germain and McQuillen, Gionet has risen through the department’s ranks since coming on board as a firefighter-paramedic in 1999.

“Jason had the experience and the skill set to succeed in this position, and he was encouraged to apply,” Germain said.

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Gionet stated that he planned to remain in the captain role and had no intention of potentially moving into a chief officer’s role until McQuillen’s promotion.

“The opportunity presented itself and I decided this was the right time for my family and I,” he said.

According to McQuillen, the assistant chief of the department is responsible for overseeing firefighter recertification, fire truck inspections, responding to facility maintenance and repair tasks in addition to having control over the entire department’s day-to-day operations and training.

With about 65 employees, the department under McQuillen's watch won't be undergoing any major changes, he said. However, mirroring most industries, the department will look to add to its force and maintain full staffing levels.

"That's certainly a challenge we're looking at, looking ahead," McQuillen said. "The mayor and (City Council) made a commitment to the folks that work here this year, and I'm sure we can work collaboratively in the future to address these problems that exist with trying to hire folks in the public sector."

Germain will miss department 'culture' and 'family atmosphere'

While Gionet pointed to the devastating fire at the State Street Saloon in the spring of 2017 as a major moment during his tenure in Portsmouth, Germain reflected on the typical calls the department reports to on a daily basis.

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“I would just say that (I don’t) specifically (remember) the calls or remember who the people were or what we did, but we certainly remember making a difference in people’s lives,” Germain said of his career. “I’m going to miss that part of it. I’ll miss being part of that culture and the family atmosphere that we have.”

Soon to be McQuillen’s, the office occupied by Germain is situated past the framed images of past Portsmouth firefighters and photographs of the fire station in its earlier years.

Posted on his office door, crafted by a fire department employee well-versed in Photoshop, is a sign advertising a retirement party for Germain, depicted with a thick, gray beard. The message thanks him for his “many, many … many years of distinguished service.”

The departing chief noted that his “happiest years” working in the department came when he served as captain, a position he was named to in 2011. Captains in the department are responsible for overseeing fire crews and joining firefighters on calls.

“But to me, the totality of it all has been what’s made this experience so wonderful for me, and it’s the people you work with every day. That’s what it comes down to. That’s what I’m going to miss,” Germain said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH Fire Dept.: Chief Germain retires, new leaders begin