Solobay named state fire commissioner by Gov.-elect Wolf
Gov.-elect Tom Wolf on Thursday named former state Sen. Tim Solobay of Canonsburg state fire commissioner.
Solobay, 58, is a longtime member and former chief of the Canonsburg Volunteer Fire Department and during his tenure in the Legislature he worked on various firefighter initiatives.
Solobay will succeed Mifflin County resident Edward Mann, who, according to the Pennsylvania Employee Salary Report, was paid $116,265.
According to its website, the state fire commissioner is responsible for the development and operation of the State Fire Academy’s resident training in Lewistown, Mifflin County, for firefighters, rescue personnel, arson investigators, teams that deal with hazardous materials and other emergency responders; local training and firefighter certification programs; the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program for volunteer departments, ambulance services and rescue squads to modernize apparatus, facilities and equipment; fire company and volunteer ambulance service grant program, public education and information;
intrastate mutual aid; memorial flags for firefighters; and a Marcellus Shale and alternative energy emergency response training that are scheduled through September.
The office also coordinates training programs at the local and regional levels, including those offered at the county level and at community colleges. Pennsylvania claims to be the birthplace of volunteer fire service in North America, and the state has the largest number of fire departments in the nation.
Gov. Milton Shapp appointed the state’s first fire commissioner in 1976. Five years later, Gov. Richard Thornburgh reorganized the fire commissioner’s office, State Fire School and volunteer loan program as the Office of Fire Safety Services under the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. The office of the state fire commissioner was created by legislation within PEMA when Gov. Tom Ridge signed the Fire Commissioner Act.
Solobay, a Democrat, served had served 12 years as a state representative and four years as a state senator. He was defeated in the November election for a third term by Republican Camera Bartolotta.
Solobay did not immediately return a call for comment.