With His Family and Staff at Side, Phil Hart Officially Sworn in as Bridgeport's New Fire Department Chief
By Jeff Toquinto on June 27, 2016 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
A little more than a month ago, on May 23 to be exact, Bridgeport City Manager Kim Haws interrupted a portion of a City Council meeting to make an announcement. At that time, Haws told the city’s governing body that the interim tag was being removed from Phil Hart and he was now officially the chief.
While Haws, who is nearing two decades of service as city manager, isn’t one to second guess himself, he said he certainly hasn’t second guessed himself on this decision. And that was proven all this week in the days leading up to the official swearing in ceremony of Hart to the position by Mayor Robert “Bob” Greer.
“The whole effort that you’ve seen down there at the fire department was organized by the Chief and our Emergency Services Director (Laura Pysz). That’s not been an easy undertaking and they’ve handled it superbly,” said Haws. “Today, this week and the entire time he’s been serving as interim and full-time
chief I’ve been really impressed with his decision making and you can sense the respect the department has for him. I feel like he can serve the city well.”
chief I’ve been really impressed with his decision making and you can sense the respect the department has for him. I feel like he can serve the city well.”
Many of the staff that serves with Hart was in attendance tonight. Some on duty and many who were off duty – and some in their dress uniforms – were in attendance to show respect of their chief. Also on hand were many members of Hart’s family and he was quick to point out the importance of staff, family and a good work environment.
“This is ‘we’ and it’s not I, but we as a team. I have a great group of guys and administrators here that support us. My job is to make sure they have the equipment to do the job safely, make them want to come to work and, most importantly, that when they leave they see their loved ones the next day,” said Hart. “These guys, myself, the administrators all know you’re nothing without family support. If you look, I’ve got good family support and I appreciate all of them.”
Hart was officially had has chief’s badge pinned on him by his son Ben. Hart then placed his captain’s badge on his grandson Griffin.
Outside of Hart’s swearing in the only official business on the agenda involved the approval of the Bridgeport Cemetery budget for the
2016-17 fiscal year. However, Council chambers were packed for more than just Hart’s swearing in and the potential individual out there who may have wonder about the $412,000 approved cemetery budget.
2016-17 fiscal year. However, Council chambers were packed for more than just Hart’s swearing in and the potential individual out there who may have wonder about the $412,000 approved cemetery budget.
The key reason for that were proclamations to Bridgeport High School student athletes. Greer presented proclamations to the Indians baseball and girls track teams that recently won Class AA state championships.
Along with the proclamations, Greer presented the coaches and all the student-athletes with ceremonial keys to the city. The baseball team won their third-straight state title, while the track team won its second championship in three seasons.
Also on Monday, Council:
- Heard from Greer that he threw out the ceremonial first pitch this evening for the District 5 Little League championship at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex. The event was for the state 11- and 12-year-old tournament. The state tournament will be held in Bridgeport next month, said Greer.
- Greer said Saturday’s beer festival was a success with as many as 500 people in attendance. He said financial figures haven’t been broken down to determine how the event fared on a fiscal front.
- Haws praised the fire department for their efforts, as mentioned above, with the flood relief in southern West Virginia. He said today alone eight pallets of water were delivered. Haws said that “in case you don’t know, that’s a lot of water.” He also praised the community’s response for helping out.
- Had an executive session prior to the meeting for roughly an hour. The session was to discuss the Bridgeport Indoor Recreation Complex with the architect. A full presentation and final study is to be presented at the first meeting July, which will come in a public forum.
Check back to Connect-Bridgeport this week for photo galleries from tonight's Council session.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Phil Hart having his chief's badge placed on him by his son Ben, while in the second phot BHS baseball Coach Robert Shields addresses the crowd. In the bottom picture, BHS girls track Coach Emilee Stout and Mayor Robert "Bob" Greer share a laugh.
