City Manager Eileen Donoghue announced Wednesday that she appointed Phil Charron, a Lowellian with 23 years of experience on the Lowell Fire Department, to be the city’s new fire chief effective Sept. 28, ending a hiring saga that stretched over months.
The selection of Charron, long thought to be a leading internal candidate for the job, comes after the first choice of the selection committee, Arlington Deputy Fire Chief James Bailey, withdrew from consideration on Aug. 17 just as city firefighters were protesting outside of City Hall the selection of someone from outside the department.
Charron has been a Lowell firefighter since 1997, and has worked as a deputy chief since his last promotion in 2016. Prior to becoming a Lowell firefighter, Charron served in the Navy from 1990 to 1994, and in the Massachusetts National Guard from 1996 to 1998.