Bow fire Chief Dana Abbott cuts his cake during a retirement celebration held in his honor at the Baker Free Library in Bow on Tuesday. Abbott worked his way up to fire chief during his 50 years of service with the town, winning numerous community awards during that time.
Bow fire Chief Dana Abbott cuts his cake during a retirement celebration held in his honor at the Baker Free Library in Bow on Tuesday. Abbott worked his way up to fire chief during his 50 years of service with the town, winning numerous community awards during that time. Credit: ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff


Dana Abbott formally said goodbye to the Bow Fire Department on Tuesday, where he’s worked for 50 years and has served as a part-time chief for 27 years.

Mitchell Harrington takes over as chief for Abbott, who started in 2000 when the department had just two full-time firefighters and was housed in an unsafe building at the foot of Knox Road in Bow.

Now, the department has seven full-time employees, more than two dozen part-time employees, and is slated to move into the town’s new public safety building at the beginning of June, Harrington said.

Abbott himself could not be reached for comment, but Harrington was not shy in singing his praises. He said the biggest impact Abbott has made has been personal. He came to Bow hoping it would be a stepping-stone to bigger fire departments, but said Abbott’s willingness to support his professional development contributed to him staying on at the department.

“I can’t say enough for what he’s done for me and the town,” Harrington said. “This last year, when we’ve been working together side-by-side on the public safety building, has been the best year of my career.”

Abbott’s career in fire has expanded far beyond the boundaries of Bow. He served as the president of the Capital Area Fire Mutual Aid Compact from 1995-2003 and acted as a state forest fire warden for 27 years. Until two years ago, he worked at the state’s Department of Administrative Services in its building division.

But Abbott’s service hasn’t gone unnoticed in Bow: He received the Bow Rotary Club’s Community Service award in 1998, the Bow Citizen of the Year award in 2003 and the Bow Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow award in 2010.

Harrington will succeed Abbott as a full-time chief, according to town manager David Stack. The department has been moving toward hiring a full-time chief for the past few years, he said, after they made the deputy chief position (which Harrington occupied until recently) a full-time role.

As a part-time chief, Abbott was receiving a monthly stipend of $1,500, Stack said. Harrington moved from a $71,240 annual salary, not including benefits, to $80,558.

(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)