Fire Chief Henry E. Kydd Jr. says he considers New London to be the best fire department in southeastern Connecticut, if not all of eastern Connecticut.
Kydd, in his fifth year as fire chief, would like to think he had some small part to play in that.
Kydd, 66, will work his last day Tuesday. He is retiring after 40 years of service to the city and plans to spend more time with family – which includes six grandchildren. Battalion Chief Thomas Curcio will be sworn in as the new chief on Wednesday.
In a job where vacations are rare and calls to his cellphone are frequent, Kydd said he’s not sure how he will adjust to having actual down time. But the idea of volunteering his time to coach sports has crossed his mind, something unthinkable with the demands of running one of the area’s busiest departments.