With the new chief on duty and a line of firefighters cheering him on, former Edgartown fire chief Peter Shemeth rode off into retirement Monday evening — in a ladder truck.
Alexander Schaeffer has been approved by Edgartown selectmen to take over as chief of the fire department following the retirement of Peter Shemeth in January.
Alexander J. Schaeffer, the deputy chief at the Edgartown fire department, has been named the town’s next fire chief. Selectmen unanimously backed the choice at their meeting Monday.
With the impending retirement of longtime Edgartown fire chief Peter Shemeth, the town must begin the process of appointing a new leader for the fire department.
The Newes from America was closed after a Saturday night fire drew an all-out response from firefighters. It was the second in three days, but Edgartown fire chief Peter Shemeth said the fires are unrelated.
Edgartown firefighters responded in force Wednesday evening to a small electrical fire at a home on Simpson’s Lane. The homeowner later thanked the town for a quick response.