Easton Selectmen Ratify Contract for Partridge

Selectmen unanimously approved a three-year employment contract for the town’s new Fire Chief, Kevin Partridge, on Friday, during a special meeting of the Board.

Partridge, who is leaving his job as Director of Homeland Security for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services,

Town Administrator David Colton said the start date allows Partridge to work in tandem with current Fire Chief Thomas Stone, who will be retiring on Jan. 26.

“There will be a two-week transition period, so that Kevin Partridge will be able to meet the rank and file and work on budget issues with Chief Stone,” Colton said.

Town Administrator David Colton announced Wednesday that he wanted to hire Partridge out of a pool of four finalists. He then asked selectmen to meet on Friday to ratify Partridge’s contract.

The employment contract is unusual for the town, and has not been offered previously to a fire chief, but Colton said a contract would be beneficial to the town and Partridge. 

He said selectmen have the option of not renewing the contract if the town is not satisfied with Partridge’s performance, and any pay increases will be based on merit rather than automatic adjustments. 

In turn, Partridge, who will be paid $104,534 a year, will be getting more vacation days.  If he didn’t have this contract, he would get 12 days per year, but instead he will receive four weeks.

“This gives us more control and gives us the opportunity to offer an acceptable package,” Colton said.

Colton said the extra benefits were necessary to attract someone like Partridge, who is 45, in the middle of his career, and has an impressive resume.  Besides his most recent post, he has served as fire chief in Avon and Berkley.

He’s also received numerous recommendations, including sources from both town government and fire services.

 “There is not a fire station anywhere in the Commonwealth that does not know of Kevin Partridge,” said Chief Stone.

Partridge said he was delighted to be chosen and was looking forward to his new job. He said he is taking the job because he misses working in a fire department, and he plans to stay in Easton for the duration of his firefighting career.

“I love doing this,” he said.

Partridge lives in Berkley and he has a wife, Janet, and two sons, John, 15, and Nicholas, 13.  He attended Bristol Community College, and originally wanted to be an engineer. However, he also worked as a volunteer firefighter while attending school, and decided he loved it so much he switched gears after just one semester at school. He eventually got an associate’s degree in fire science.

His other interests include jogging and working as a baseball umpire for the Babe Ruth League and other travel teams.