Deputy Waterville fire Chief Jason Frost, who will become the city’s new chief next month, is seen Wednesday at the Waterville Fire Department. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — Deputy Waterville fire Chief Jason Frost will become the city’s new chief next month.

City Manager Bryan Kaenrath appointed Frost to the top post on Tuesday, effective on Friday, Oct. 4.

Frost, 45, of Skowhegan, will succeed Chief Shawn Esler, who will become the next state fire marshal following his nomination by Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, with consent of Gov. Janet Mills. Esler’s last day with the city will be Thursday, Oct. 3, according to Kaenrath.

Kaenrath made the new chief announcement at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. He said in an interview earlier Tuesday that it was an easy decision, appointing Frost to the top spot. Frost is smart, well-liked, experienced and has the right mindset to be successful, according to Kaenrath. He thinks Frost will carry on a lot of great work Esler has done as chief and maintain the good culture at the department.

Chief Shawn Esler of the Waterville Fire-Rescue Department, pictured here on the scene of a fire in downtown Waterville last year, is stepping down from his city role to become the new state fire marshal. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel file

“I think he’s going to be a great fit and keep a good thing going,” Kaenrath said.

Frost’s contract is for three years and he will be paid a salary of $115,000 including benefits, according to Kaenrath. He said a search will be conducted for a deputy chief and Frost will make the decision as to who is hired.

Frost has been deputy fire chief since June 2022 and before that, was deputy chief of the Skowhegan Fire Department, where he started his full-time firefighting career in 2001.  He had joined the call force in Skowhegan in 1998. A 1997 graduate of Skowhegan Area High School, Frost did his Firefighter I training at the Skowhegan Fire Department and his Firefighter II training at the Maine State Fire Academy.

Frost said earlier Tuesday that he had spent his whole career at the Skowhegan department so moving to a new department was daunting. But the Waterville department immediately embraced him, making the transition easy and seamless.

“I was welcomed, I was brought into this family and it has been nothing but good feelings since I came here,” he said.

Frost said he wants to continue the department culture Esler started — one of family, pride, duty and respect.

“We’re going to continue down the path that Chief Esler has put us on,” Frost said. “I know his goals, I know his vision. I’ve worked with him for 2 1/2 years. Even though I’m sorry to see him go, I’m very excited to continue on with the tradition.”

Kaenrath announced at a council meeting Sept. 3 that Esler will become the new state fire marshal Oct. 3, succeeding Richard McCarthy, who retired last month after a little more than a year on the job.

Deputy Waterville fire Chief Jason Frost, seen Wednesday at the station, will become the city’s new chief next month and says he wants to continue down the path the outgoing chief has put the department on, adding he is “very excited to continue on with the tradition.” Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Kaenrath praised Esler for his service and said he couldn’t say enough about his work in Waterville. The fire marshal leads the Office of State Fire Marshal, which acts as the state’s primary enforcer of fire and life safety codes, and represents the Office of the Maine Attorney General in the investigation of all fires and explosions.

Scott Ogden, Mills’ deputy chief of staff, said in an email earlier this month that pursuant to state law, Sauschuck, with the advice and consent of the governor, nominated Esler for the position. The appointment requires confirmation from the state Senate after review by the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

Ogden said Tuesday in an email that Esler’s hearing before the committee is scheduled for noon on Sept. 27.

Esler was named Waterville fire chief in 2018 and had been at the department since 2008, first as a firefighter, then as a lieutenant and then, captain.

As the new chief, Frost will supervise a department of 67, including a revolving call force of about 30 firefighters, as well as 37 full-time firefighters and EMS providers, including Frost. The department operates four ambulances, a tower truck and two engines, as well as a pickup truck and SUVs.

Esler said that during his tenure as chief, overdue station repairs were completed, aging apparatus replaced, the first full-time female firefighter hired and fiscally responsible growth of the department realized. Esler led the department’s transition from being a rescue service that responds to emergencies and treats patients until ambulances arrive to transporting patients to hospitals in city ambulances. He said he readied the department for the future through succession planning and guiding Frost to be the next fire chief. Frost, he said, has spent countless hours with Esler, navigating challenging issues, fostering relationships with personnel, implementing change and planning for the department.

Esler recommended Kaenrath appoint Frost as chief, saying Frost is not only knowledgeable and prepared, but he also is well respected, both internally and externally.