HARRISBURG — The new director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency got his start in Butler County.

Richard Flinn, who was appointed in January to head the state agency by Gov. Tom Wolf, joined the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company when he was 15 years old.

“That just laid the groundwork of my whole career,” Flinn, 60, said.

While he was there, he said he learned a lot of skills about being a firefighter and medic. He graduated from Knoch High School in 1972.

Flinn, who has more than 40 years of experience in emergency work, came to PEMA from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He said the mission of PEMA is to support emergency management departments in all 67 counties in the state.

If an emergency event is expected to happen, Flinn said crews will be pre-positioned to respond quickly to the needs of the counties.

“It's there when (they) need it,” Flinn said.

He said the key is to have a good relationship with all of the county emergency management departments. Since taking the job, he has met with emergency management in every county.

Steve Bicehouse, director of Butler County Emergency Services, said he was introduced to Flinn two weeks ago during a PEMA training session in Greensburg. He said that Flinn has a lot of experience and will do a good job.

“He seemed fine to me,” Bicehouse said.

Flinn said he not only has to work with local governments during disasters, but also has to work with businesses, volunteer organizations and the public.

“Disasters are not government-centric,” Flinn said.

He said this is probably the best job he has had.

“I'm having fun. It's great,” Flinn said.

After leaving Knoch, he went to the Penn State University's Beaver campus for one year before joining the Army as a medic. He left the Army in 1976 and went to Penn State again. He graduated in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in health planning administration.

He returned to Saxonburg after college, and worked at U.S. Steel in Rankin, but he again wanted to work in emergency management.

Flinn went to work for the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council. He stayed for 24 years, eventually becoming the executive director.

During this time, he got a master's degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania in the late 1980s, and he rejoined the military. He retired in 2013 as a colonel from the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Medical Detachment, where he was the commander.

He also worked at PEMA as the deputy director of operations before going to work at FEMA in 2010.

At FEMA, he was the deputy director of the operations division, overseeing the National Response Coordination Center, the National Watch Center, the National Urban Search and Rescue Program and other centers.

The biggest disaster he had to respond to was an outbreak of tornadoes in Alabama and Mississippi in April 2011. During the outbreak, there were 355 tornadoes, killing 348 people.

“Seeing what Mother Nature could do at her worst ... I felt very humbled,” Flinn said.

Despite the damage and loss of life, Flinn found the experience to be rewarding.

“It was actually a tremendous experience,” Flinn said.

He was in the area for about three weeks. During that time, we talked with a number of fire chiefs and other emergency responders, He also was able to talk to some of the survivors.

He noted that basements in the south are rare, so people who had to protect themselves from the tornadoes went to “safe pits” where they and neighbors hid until the coast was clear.

To get the director's position at PEMA, Flinn put his resume in for consideration and met with Wolf's chief of staff, a state personnel committee and Wolf himself. Flinn said he was humbled to be chosen for the position, and said his past experience at PEMA likely helped.

Flinn still is living in Virginia, commuting back and forth on the weekends. Because of his military background, he is able to pay to stay in a cottage at Fort Indiantown Gap during the week.

“It's a unique situation,” Flinn said.

This summer he will move to Cumberland County.

When he finally moves back to the state, he said he plans on getting involved with volunteer firefighting again, though he obviously will not be able to be as involved as he was in the past.

“It's in your blood,” Flinn said.

His parents still own a house in Saxonburg. However, because they are elderly, they moved to Virginia last year and the family is working to sell the house soon.

Flinn's sister still lives in the county.

Flinn is married with two daughters and a son.

AGE: 60RESIDENCE: VirginiaEARLY YEARS: Born and raised in Saxonburg.EDUCATION: Graduated from Knoch High School in 1972; later earned a bachelor’s degree in health planning administration from Penn State University and a master’s degree in governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania.EXPERIENCE: Executive director of Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council, where he worked for 24 years; deputy director of operations for PEMA; and deputy director of the operations division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He also joined the Saxonburg VFC at age 15.FAMILY: Married with two daughters and a son.BIGGEST DISASTER: Series of tornadoes in 2011 in Alabama and Mississippi, killing 348.QUOTE: “Seeing what Mother Nature could do at her worst ... I felt very humbled.”