By Abigail Ham
The Keene Sentinel
CHESHIRE COUNTY, N.H. 鈥� Cheshire EMS Chief Charles McMurrer resigned last Wednesday, County Administrator Chris Coates confirmed Monday, after less than a year on the job. Deputy Chief Mark Kraemer will fill the role in an interim capacity, Coates said.
In his resignation letter, which Coates provided to The Sentinel, McMurrer said he was proud of his tenure at Cheshire EMS, but noted it had come at a 鈥渉igh cost鈥� to his family due to long hours and stress.
In a news release, county administrators praised McMurrer鈥檚 dedication to the agency.
McMurrer, of Hillsboro, was appointed chief in June after serving as interim chief since last April. He has worked in emergency services for about 15 years and has been with Cheshire EMS since the county-run agency, which now serves 19 communities, launched in 2022.
Coates said McMurrer resigned after taking two weeks to consider the decision, that it was motivated by his desire to spend more time with family, and that the chief was on good terms with county administration.
The timing after concerns about McMurrer鈥檚 leadership came up among unionized personnel was coincidental, Coates said, in response to a reporter鈥檚 question about this.
The approximately 30 emergency medical technicians and paramedics who work for Cheshire EMS joined Teamsters Local 633 in January.
Teamsters business agent Keith Judge said Monday that McMurrer鈥檚 resignation followed a period of 鈥渢urmoil鈥� with unionized staff members, but it was not clear to him whether the resignation was related.
According to Judge, union members earlier this month discussed the possibility of taking a vote of no confidence in McMurrer, due in part to concerns about the workplace environment at Cheshire EMS, but ultimately decided not to take that step.
Teamsters trustee Alyssa Croteau said a vote of no confidence is intended to signal to governing bodies that staff want a change in leadership, but those votes have no actual power to force a change. Croteau said the discussion about taking a vote of no confidence was driven by a lack of communication and trust between staff and leadership.
McMurrer could not be reached Monday morning for comment.
He is the second Cheshire EMS chief to leave the Swanzey-based agency in the two years since it launched. Former Chief Michael Spain stepped down in October 2023 to move closer to family, according to the county.
Coates said Kraemer will serve in an interim capacity for a three-month trial period. Then, if all goes well, he鈥檒l likely be made chief.
Kraemer, 44, of Westmoreland, started his EMS career in Massachusetts, then spent about five years as a lieutenant with Peterborough Fire and Rescue before joining Cheshire EMS as a shift medic in March 2023. He was appointed deputy chief in January.
He said he鈥檚 looking forward to deepening partnerships with local police, fire and rescue departments, and expanding training and development opportunities for department staff and community members.
(c)2024 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)
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