By Emily Opilo
The Morning Call
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown’s fire chief of five years will retire this month, according to an email circulated to the members of the department Friday.
Robert Scheirer will step down effective Jan. 18 after 22 years with Allentown’s force. A third generation member of the department, Scheirer has headed the city’s fire and EMS units in addition to serving as emergency management coordinator.
“It has been a great pleasure to serve with all of you,” Scheirer wrote in the memo circulated to members of the department. “While we may not have agreed on all the issues all the time, we have certainly worked together as a team to serve and assist all the citizens of Allentown and Lehigh County to the best of our ability.”
Reached Friday, Scheirer confirmed he would be leaving the department, but said he could not discuss the situation further until a Mayor Ed Pawlowski made the announcement.
In a news release circulated shortly after 4 p.m., Pawlowski’s office confirmed the retirement stating that “Bob has been a dependable and effective leader.”
“He built an excellent reputation across this city in his 22 years on the job,” Pawlowski continued. “We will miss his leadership and I am sad to see him go.”
Deputy Chief of Operations Bob Kudlak will be promoted to interim fire chief after Scheirer’s departure. The city will conduct a national search for a permanent successor.
Scheirer will be paid $6,500 to serve as a city consultant for the next 12 months and assist with the transition.
As chief, Scheirer oversaw Allentown’s fire department during a period of tension between the city administration and rank and file members. In 2011, 42 firefighters, nearly one third of Allentown’s force, retired from the department to take advantage of a generous pension agreement offered under a contract that expired that year. The retirements followed the exodus of about 80 veteran police officers in 2005 who retired under a similar pension plan.
Scheirer spent much of the next year filling the large number of vacancies, which had significantly reduced the experience level of the force.
Additional unrest was created in late 2012 when Mayor Ed Pawlowski presented a budget that called for a 20-member reduction of the department in compliance with an arbitration agreement reached that year in a contract dispute. Union members struck back saying the reduction would put the safety of city residents at risk and circulated a letter Scheirer wrote in 2002 warning that staffing reductions are a safety risk.
The letter, which was addressed to Scheirer’s wife and the wives of all city firefighters in the event of his death, outlined eight safety concerns within the department. Each issue jeopardized the safety of city firefighters, he said.
The arbitration agreement remains under appeal, but the city’s 2014 budget calls for the same limited number of firefighters.
John Stribula, president of the local firefighter union, said he was disappointed to see Scheirer retire, but “given Pawlowski’s management style, it’s not all that surprising,” he said.
“Scheirer has endured eight years of the mayor, and seen his firefighter compliment go from 140 to 122,” Stribula said. “Scheirer was working under a mayor who doesn’t place firefighter safety first.”
Scheirer, who joined the department in 1991, will retire with a partial pension based on his 22 years of service. . Members of the force must work for 25 years to earn the full pension payout.
Scheirer earned a salary of $100,994 in 2013, and was set to see an increase to $102,492 in 2014. Allentown’s new police chief will earn $135,000 in 2014.
The Scheirer family has a lengthy history with the Allentown Fire Department dating back to the 1920s. Scheirer’s grandfather, Fredrick (Fritz) Scheirer, rose the rank of deputy chief before retiring in 1969, according to the city news release, and his father, John Scheirer, retired as a lieutenant in 2001 after 32 years with the department. When Scheirer was named chief in 2008, all four of his brothers served on the force with him.
During his City Council confirmation, then Councilman David Howells Sr. joked that he would vote for Scheirer based on his name alone.
In 2000, after 11 years on the force Scheirer was promoted to fire marshal, and in 2005 he was named captain of fire marshals. In 2006, he became captain of public affairs, and he took the position of deputy chief in 2007. Scheirer was promoted to emergency management coordinator when he took the role of chief in 2008.
A former public affairs captain, Scheirer was especially helpful to the media, often spending additional time to explain firefighting tactics at fire scenes or answering questions and providing key details about some of the city’s major catastrophes like the 2011 gas explosion that killed five.
Scheirer and his crews were praised for their response to the emergency. On the scene, Scheirer gave the order to evacuate nearby towers where hundred of senior citizens lived.
Kudlak, Scheirer’s replacement, joined the city department in 1986. He has been serving as deputy chief of operations, second in command in the department.
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