WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Williamsport has two new men at the helm of its Bureau of Fire. Sam Aungst and Keith Lucas were sworn in as fire chief and deputy chief by Mayor Derek Slaughter. The ceremony was held at the station located on Walnut Street.
"Hoping and praying that we are able to serve the citizens of Williamsport and the members of the bureau of fire as well as we can. They are all our first priority," said Chief Aungst.
"A collective experience of 60 or so years to the Williamsport Bureau of Fire. I couldn't be more excited to have Deputy Chief Lucas and Chief Aungst lead us in a new direction," said Mayor Slaughter.
Chief Aungst was formally platoon chief. He tells Newswatch 16 that he steps into this role with plenty of experience and hopes to hit the ground running.
"Continue to serve the citizens of Williamsport and getting the education and everything in the hands of firefighters who need it," added Chief Aungst.
Deputy Chief Lucas has many years of experience at the Williamsport Bureau of Fire under his belt. He says he is excited about this new role and wants to be a father figure for the younger firefighters.
"From firefighter to engineer to platoon chief, I have seen just about every call there is," said Deputy Chief Lucas. "So, I have a little bit of experience to pass on."
Chief Aungst will replace former fire chief Mark Killian. Mayor Slaughter had this to say regarding the change in leadership.
"Simply an administrative decision. Nothing more I can elaborate on; it is personnel which is confidential. So, it was an administrative decision," added Mayor Slaughter.
Chief Aungst tells Newswatch 16 that one of his first moves as chief will be going door to door with his firefighters to check smoke detectors in homes throughout the city.
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