Fire Chief Troy Cailler stands in the Sabattus Fire Station. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

SABATTUS – Troy Cailler doesn’t know if he’s the youngest person to serve as fire chief in the state of Maine, but he’s pretty sure he’s in the running for the title.

The 27-year-old was recently hired to succeed Marc Veilleux, who left after several years of splitting his time as fire chief and an inspector for the Office of State Fire Marshal.

According to Cailler, he will serve as a part-time fire chief while continuing to work full-time for the Lewiston Fire Department.

“I have days off (in Lewiston) during the week, so that will give me time to come here and do stuff,” Cailler said. “It’s always been my dream to work full-time somewhere and be a part-time chief somewhere else, and Sabattus is close enough to where I live. They have a great organization here, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Cailler said that while many of his co-workers have called him the “youngest fire chief in Maine,” he’s unsure if it’s true.

“There might be some younger chiefs up north, where the fire departments are all volunteer, but I’m not sure,” Cailler said.

Saco Fire Chief John Duross, president of the Maine Fire Chiefs Association, is also unsure.

He said the association “doesn’t keep track of the ages or date of births of its members.”

“I wouldn’t even be able to guess who the youngest fire chief is in the state,” Duross said.

Cailler started his career as a firefighter in 2008, when he was hired by the Litchfield Fire Department as a junior firefighter at the age of 16.

From there, he went to Southern Maine Community College and was a live-in student in Scarborough.

“I was able to work at the fire station (in Scarborough) and get hands-on experience while studying at college,” Cailler said.

In 2013, during his last year at SMCC, he was hired by the city of Lewiston as a full-time firefighter on the same week as the 2013 arson fires that destroyed nine downtown buildings.

At the same time, Cailler, a native of Litchfield, volunteered with the Litchfield and Scarborough fire departments and has continued to do so over the past seven years.

Troy Cailler, Sabattus fire chief Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

From a young age, Cailler found himself surrounded by firefighters, including his father, Bob Cailler, and uncle, Rick Cailler.

Cailler said his father has been with the Lewiston Fire Department since 1985, while his uncle, currently a captain with Lewiston, started in 1987.

“I remember always visiting my father at work when I was a child,” Cailler said.

He said that despite his age, he feels he can “bridge the gap between the younger and older generations.”

“Fire service has a back and forth thing between the young and older generations,” Cailler said. “When I was interviewing for the position, I said that I felt I could bring some of the younger mentality into the old school mentality of fire service.”

For him, serving as chief is a “new, exciting challenge.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting my feet wet and making some exciting changes,” he said. “I want to learn about Sabattus as much as I can and have good communication with the selectmen, the town manager, and department heads.”

mdaigle@sunmediagroup.net