CARLISLE, Pa. — The Borough of Carlisle announced Tuesday that Randy O’Donnell has been hired as the borough's new fire chief.
The Fire Chief serves as the principal liaison between the two independent fire companies (Carlisle Fire & Rescue Services and Union Fire Company #1) and borough staff and elected officials, the borough said.
O'Donnell assumes command at all major fires and fire-related emergencies, plans, organizes, and conducts borough-wide fire prevention programming, and serves as Carlisle's Emergency Management Coordinator, participating in local and regional emergency planning.
He replaces current Fire Chief Jeffrey Snyder, who will retire at the end of the month after more than 45 years of public service, including the last seven and a half years in Carlisle, the borough said.
“On behalf of Carlisle Borough, we are extremely pleased to welcome Randy to our community," said Carlisle Borough Manager Susan Armstrong. "His passion for public service, collaborative spirit, and strong work ethic are highly regarded by his peers and the communities in which he has served. Our organization and the community that we serve will undoubtedly benefit from Randy’s wealth of experience, broad skillset, and future contributions.”
O’Donnell’s career in fire service began at age of nine, when he joined the West End Fire and Rescue Company of Shippensburg. He moved up the ranks in multiple companies throughout the years, serving as Sergeant, Assistant Fire Chief, Fire Chief, Assistant Borough Fire Chief, and Company President.
He currently volunteers as the Shippensburg Borough Fire Chief, supervising three companies and 60 volunteer firefighters out of two stations. Under his leadership, the fire department has standardized responses, operational and administrative policies, maintenance programs, training, and funding among the three companies.
Since 1987, O’Donnell has been working at the Naval Support Activity Fire and Emergency Services Department in Mechanicsburg, where he will retire as Battalion Chief on June 5. He holds many professional certifications in emergency services, including Fire Fighter II, Fire Inspector II, confined space rescue technician, HAZMAT technician, EMT, and vehicle rescue technician.
O’Donnell is an active member of the Franklin County and Cumberland County Fire Chiefs’ Associations, working with the counties and public safety agencies to provide the highest quality of service. He also serves on the board of the Franklin County Public Safety Training Center, the Chambersburg Fire Department Hiring Board, and the Cumberland County Local Emergency Planning Committee.
“Accepting this position is the dream of a lifetime,” O’Donnell said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of Carlisle and the members of the Carlisle Fire Department. I hope to create a vision for the department to adapt to an ever-changing fire service. Our ultimate goal is to provide a professional service to the community that they deserve and should expect.”
