PROVIDENCE — The former chief of the Warwick Fire Department has been nominated as the new state fire marshal, a post that has been vacant for several months.

Governor Carcieri announced yesterday that he has selected John Chartier, a Warwick firefighter for 30 years who retired as chief in 2006, for the post of overseeing and enforcing the state’s fire codes. The appointment is subject to Senate approval.

“I am pleased that Chief John Chartier has agreed to serve as the state Fire Marshal,” said Carcieri in a statement. “His long experience as fire chief in the state’s second-largest city makes him an ideal candidate for this position. He will benefit from his longstanding professional relationships with fire chief and emergency management agency officials across Rhode Island.”

Chartier replaces Frank Sylvester, who left the state fire marshal’s position in February, saying that he wanted to return to his old job as fire chief in Lincoln’s Lime Rock Fire District. He lasted only four months.

Chartier, if confirmed, will be the third state fire marshal since the spring of 2007. Prior to Sylvester, George S. Farrell held the position for a year before he left to take the job as fire chief in Providence, the state’s largest and busiest fire department.

Reached late yesterday, Chartier said he was looking forward to the job and was hopeful that he could be on board by the end of the month.

“I thought that this was a perfect fit for me,” he said. “I think that I have a great opportunity to make a difference.”

Jeff Neal, Carcieri’s spokesman, did not know Chartier’s proposed annual salary, although it’s expected to be in line with Farrell and Sylvester who were paid about $95,000.

Chartier, 54, retired from the Warwick Fire Department in 2006, capping a career that spanned 30 years, including the final five years as chief. He joined the department as a volunteer in 1974 and was appointed to a full-time position two years later. He won his first promotion to lieutenant in 1984.

Chartier received an executive fire officer degree from the National Fire Academy, in Emmittsburg, Md. He holds professional certifications and has received training from a number of other organizations, including the Emergency Management Institute, the National Fire Academy and the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center.

At the time of his retirement, Chartier said he had no immediate employment plans. Instead, he said that he was going to build a house on the site of his childhood home in South Kingstown.

A few months ago, Chartier was back looking for work in the firefighting profession. His name surfaced last month as a finalist for the position of fire chief in West Warwick. Yesterday, Chartier said that the fire marshal’s job was the one that he had been eyeing the most.

bmalinow@projo.com