In a room filled with family, friends and volunteer firefighters, Ted Hale was sworn in as the fire chief of Upper St. Clair on Monday night by Judge Mike Fisher prior to the Aug. 7 Board of Commissioners meeting.

Hale took his oath of office about 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting and officially became the Township’s first full-time fire chief.

“I am humbled and honored to be sworn in as the first ever full-time fire chief for the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department,” said Hale. “I would like to thank the administrative staff and the Board of Commissioners for giving me this opportunity. I’ve already enjoyed working with the current volunteer firefighters, who are dedicated and committed to providing the best possible service to the residents of Upper St. Clair. It’s been a great two months so far. We’ve been active in the community, and I look forward to continue moving the department forward. To our constituents and the volunteer firefighters, I truly appreciate this opportunity—it means a lot.”

“We are pleased to officially welcome Chief Ted Hale to our community and the Township organization,” said Township Manager Matthew R. Serakowski. “We are confident in Chief Hale's experience and background and believe he will provide the leadership and expertise necessary to allow the department to continue to build on a strong foundation of providing exemplary fire service delivery."

Hale’s hire was years in the making. After almost two years of cooperative study and review with the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department, the Board of Commissioners approved the Organizational Assessment and Strategy Recommendations for the fire department. Contained within this strategic plan were 11 recommendations to strengthen and support the long-term viability of the volunteer fire department.

Objective number one of the strategic plan, which was formed by an Ad Hoc Strategic Planning Committee made up of Township, Fire Department and elected representatives, was appointing a Township Fire Chief.

Hale has over 30 years of service in both volunteer, combination and career fire service organizations. He was with the Library Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, serving as Fire Chief, and has been with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire since 2011.

As the Fire Chief at the Library Volunteer Fire Company, Hale coordinated and managed all department activities, including training, fire protection and prevention. He was also responsible for community outreach programs, implementing recruiting and retention programs and establishing standard operating guidelines for the fire department.

From 1996-2011, he served in numerous roles with the Wilkinsburg Fire Department—including Fire Captain. In addition, he has been a Fire Academy Instructor at the Allegheny County Fire Academy since 2004.

Hale began his duties with the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department earlier this summer.