Crime & Safety

Meet The New (Acting) Fire Chief

Londonderry native Darren O'Brien has been named acting chief following the retirement of Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie.

A lifelong Londonderry resident will take the reins of the Londonderry Fire Department starting March 1.

Battalion Chief Darren O'Brien has been named acting chief following the retirement of Fire Chief Kevin MacCaffrie.

O'Brien, 47, grew up in town and attended Londonderry schools. He's been with the Londonderry Fire Department for 29 years, 27 of them as a full-time firefighter.

Find out what's happening in Londonderryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

"I'm looking forward to it," O'Brien said last week. "There are a lot of challenges ahead, and I look forward to the opportunity. I just want to keep things moving forward."

Acting Town Manager and Police Chief William Hart said O'Brien was chosen as acting chief because he had the most seniority of the department's four battalion chiefs. He said no decisions have been made yet about hiring a permanent replacement for MacCaffrie. O'Brien said he would probably be interested in applying for the job on a full-time basis, if given the opportunity.

Find out what's happening in Londonderryfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.