Butler officials on Tuesday swore in new chiefs for the city's police and fire departments.

Mayor Ben Smith announced at Tuesday's city council forum meeting that he has appointed Robert O'Neill, an officer in the Adams Township Police Department, as police chief. At the same meeting, council members unanimously approved and appointed Christopher Switala, the Butler Township fire marshal, as fire chief.

“I'm 100 percent in,” O'Neill said, after admitting he thought he was going to meet with council Tuesday and didn't realize his appointment was going to be announced.

His first day on the job is Nov. 1. The police chief's annual salary is $89,175 and O'Neill will be paid a pro-rated portion of that amount for the rest of the year.

“I'm excited for the opportunity to work in the city,” O'Neill said after the meeting. “I'm glad to be part of its resurgence.”

He said his 20 years experience in law enforcement began with working as an officer with the Pittsburgh Housing Authority Police Department.

After 18 months, he landed a job with the Cranberry Township Police Department, where he became a corporal and detective during his 17 years of service. He currently is an officer in Adams Township and has worked for the Butler County Drug Task Force.

O'Neill said he has a bachelor's degree from Duquesne University and a master's degree from Geneva College.

O'Neill said his father and two brothers are also police officers.

“I come from a big family of law enforcement,” he said.

O'Neill said his initial plans as the new chief are to meet with department officers and to establish a good relationship with them and the community.

“I look forward to hitting the ground running,” O'Neill said.

He is also passionate about football and serves as the coach of the Central Catholic High School 9th grade team, and used to coach in the Seneca Valley youth league.

The city police department has been without a chief since former chief Ron Brown retired in July.

The fire chief's position has been vacant since Nick Ban retired in 2016.

Switala said he wants to foster a cooperative approach to emergency response and fire prevention between the city's full-time department and Butler Township's volunteer fire companies.

“This position is a great platform to facilitate a regional approach to fire protection in the area,” Switala said before the council meeting.

Switala said he will resign from his position as fire marshal of Butler Township, which he has held since April.

He will work full-time as the city's chief and fire marshal and work on an as-needed basis as chief of the township's three volunteer fire departments, which are in the process of merging into one department.

The city's paid department provides immediate response to fires and emergencies while the township departments respond with greater manpower, he said.

“You can help them be the best of both worlds,” Switala said. “Between the city and township the vision I have is for the departments to build upon the history of service they already provide.”

There are few shared or joint fire chiefs in the country, he said.

“I just saw this as a unique opportunity. I saw this as an opportunity to put in that cooperative approach. It's something that would be unique in this area and in the state. It can be a model to deal with dwindling volunteerism and some of the cost constraints with career departments,” Switala said.

He said he will strive for consistency in the department.

“The city being without a chief for such a long time, I'm looking to provide some consistency and uniformity in operation in all shifts,” Switala said.

He said he believes in being proactive and in community service. Firefighters will use time between calls for fire prevention work and community outreach, he said.He started in the fire service as a volunteer firefighter in Baldwin 32 years ago.During the 17 years he worked as a full-time firefighter in Mount Lebanon, he worked in fire prevention and community outreach programs and conducted fire inspections and investigations. The Mount Lebanon Fire Department is one of the few departments in the country that is accredited by the Commission of Fire Accreditation and achieved the Insurance Services Office best fire service rating of 1.He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from John Carroll University in Ohio and a bachelor's in fire service administration from the State University of New York.“Having that background will help me apply best practices to both departments,” Switala said.He was hired by the township to replace Larry Christy, who was the fire marshal for 10 years after working for the city fire department for 29 years including seven as chief.In addition, he said he is in process of moving to Middlesex Township with his wife and 14-year-old daughter.Switala's first day on the job hasn't been determined, but it will come after the 30-day resignation notice he provided to the township.The fire chief's annual salary is $80,000 and Switala will receive a pro-rated portion of that amount for the rest of the year.