On April 1st, Reading, Pennsylvania Fire Marshal Todd Iaeger will step into that same position for Chapel Hill.

Iaeger has worked for Reading’s Fire and Rescue services since 1997, and served as the city’s Fire Marshal since 2005. He began his career in public service as a Reading police officer for seven years.

Chapel Hill Fire Chief Dan Jones praised Iaeger’s vast public safety experience.

“What really attracted us to him was his energy, his enthusiasm for the field of safety and fire prevention,” he said, “and his track record of innovation in his own community back in Reading, Pennsylvania.”

Jones said that Iaeger was active in promoting fire safety in university housing in Reading.

The fire marshal is responsible for the life safety division of the fire department.

The search to fill the position has been a long one since Fire Marshal Matt Lawrence moved to Deputy Chief of Operations early last year.

Since then, the department has been operating with a short staff – particularly during an 11-month period when Deputy Fire Marshal Dace Bergen acted as Interim Fire Marshal.

In December, the interim position was given to retired Fire Captain Doug Kelly.

Jones said that many members of the department had to pick up an extra workload as a result of the long search, which caused “quite a strain.”

“We just had so many things going on, we didn’t have time to do the search,” said Jones. “And then the search ended up taking longer than we had thought it might.”

But now, the department can go back to its regular heavy workload. Jones said he’s eager to introduce Iaeger to the Chapel Hill community.