LINCOLN – Fire Chief Frank Hammond is leaving his post of a year and a half, a career move that will see him switch from fighting fires to helping teach others to fight fires.

Hammond, who has been a firefighter with Lincoln for five years and also served as fire chief in Levant, is expected to start his new job in early December, although he also will serve as acting chief until a permanent replacement can be found.

The 35-year-old Hammond is joining the Maine Fire Training and Education program, which among other things certifies firefighters in the state. Hammond will become Fire Department Service Supervisor and will be responsible for coordinating firefighter training and education programs for the eight eastern-most counties.

New regulations regarding firefighter safety and equipment as well as assuring that firefighters are trained in dealing with the increased dangers and complexities of fires these days are among the challenges Hammond expects to contend with in his new job.

Compared to fires of decades ago, fires today burn “hotter, faster and more toxic,” Hammond said, because of an increasing variety of man-made materials, from drapes to couch cushions.

Hammond reflected on his more than five years in Lincoln, describing the department as one of the better fire departments that he’s worked with in his career.

“The experience here was extraordinary, in a positive way,” Hammond said Wednesday.

Hammond served simultaneously as a firefighter in Lincoln while he was fire chief in Levant for about two years before being named chief in Lincoln. He was a civilian fire captain at Loring Air Force Base from 1991 to 1994 and a firefighter in Durham, N.H., from 1988 to 1991. Hammond served four years in the U.S. Air Force.

Lincoln Town Manager Glenn Aho expects to advertise for the fire chief’s position in early to mid-December with the hope that a finalist will be selected from mid to late January. He said the town is looking for a motivated person.