PEMBROKE — Two faces — one fresh, one familiar — have stepped up to fill the role of chief and assistant chief for the Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department.

Thirty-six-year-old Pembroke native William Lowry, who has been a member of the fire department since age 21, was elected fire chief on May 1.

“I had heard some rumors, but it still sort of came as a shock,” Lowry said.

Lowry, who is also the head technician at his father’s business, Lowry Construction and Mechanical, at COMtech, has worked his way through the ranks at the fire department; he first served as a fireman and then held the elected positions of sergeant, captain, and training officer.

Now, as chief, Lowry says that some aspects of the job, such as navigating the town’s budget, make him “a little nervous.”

“You have to make sure that the whole department has what they need to operate … that everyone has what they need to be safe and to keep the citizens safe,” he said.

No matter the budget, Lowry considers the main responsibility of his new role to ensure the well being of his team.

“The biggest thing I feel I can contribute is the knowledge I have from past experiences that can help to keep our members safe,” Lowry said.

A new assistant chief, Doug Stuck, was also elected May 1. Stuck has been a firefighter with the department for three years. He previously worked as a fire chief in Pennsylvania.

Lowry’s and Demery’s appointments fill the void left when the department’s chief, McDuffie Cummings Jr., and assistant chief, Earl Demery, resigned about two weeks ago.

Cummings, who is chief of police at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, cited lack of time as the reason for his resignation, saying that the volunteer position had grown to be “too demanding” in addition to his two jobs.

Their resignations came a couple of months after the Town Council voted to eliminate pay for the chief and assistant chief. According to Marie Moore, interim town manager, the chief had been paid $9,800 a year and the assistant chief $4,200 a year since 2007.

The department serves areas within the city limits — an area about four miles long down N.C. 711 and two miles wide, according to Lowry.