Rob Barton took the oath of office as fire chief at the Jan. 14 Select Board meeting and the board unanimously approved his employment contract.

Town officials administered the oath to Barton in a brief pinning ceremony attended by family and members of the Charlton Fire Department. Barton thanked the town administrator, the board and his family; he said he was “blessed and looking forward to working with everybody.”

Following the ceremony the Select Board moved to approve the fire chief’s contract. A motion to approve was made, seconded and carried unanimously.

Earlier in the meeting, the board also took up and unanimously approved a separate contract for the police chief. The board did not discuss changes to the police contract during the public portion of the meeting.