Switala takes over as Butler Twp. fire marshal
BUTLER TWP — There’s a new fire marshal in the township.
Chris Switala started his new job following the retirement of Fire Marshal Larry Christy last week. Christy had held the position for 10 years.
“I’m excited,” Switala said at a retirement lunch the township held for Christy last week.
Switala resigned from his job as a lieutenant in the Mount Lebanon Fire Department, where he worked for 17 years, to take the township job.
“I’ve done a lot of fire prevention work in Mount Lebanon. I wanted to continue doing that kind of work,” he said.
Inspecting commercial buildings for compliance with the International Fire Code and investigating the cause of fires were part of his job in Mount Lebanon and are also part of his new job description.
Switala’s career in fire service began 31 years ago, when he joined a volunteer fire department in Baldwin borough, Allegheny County.
Switala was one of the 17 career firefighters in the Mount Lebanon Fire Department, which also has 40 volunteers.
Mount Lebanon has one of the few fire departments with a Class 1 rating from Insurance Service Office, he said.
Switala said he is certified as a fire inspector, fire investigator, fire instructor and fire officer, and has bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and fire service administration.
Switala said Christy spent his last two weeks on the job helping him prepare to take over the office and get accustomed to the township’s computers, documents and reports.
He said he joined Christy on several building inspections.
“There’s a lot of new territory for me to learn here,” Switala said.
He said he is also looking for a house and hopes to find a new home for his wife and daughter by fall.
