The Lebanon Fire Department celebrated the distinguished career of Chief Robert Wirey on Jan. 12 with special guests from Wirey’s first shift with the department in 1991.
L-R: Battalion Chief (retired) Ted Pratt, Chief (retired) Bill Williams, Mike Young, Battalion Chief (retired) Gail Wethington, Battalion Chief Robert Wirey, and Chief (retired) Jim Stevenson.
Wirey began his career with the Lebanon Fire Department on Jan. 1, 1991, at the age of 20, which caused his first official shift with the department to be delayed slightly as he waited for his 21st birthday to start on shift. Wirey rose through the ranks at the Lebanon Fire Department, securing the appointment of Deputy Chief of Operations in 2013 before continuing to rise to take on the title of Chief. Wirey’s career recently came to an end as he announced his intent to retire in late 2022 before requesting to return to B-shift to finish his career.
During his 33-year career with the department, Wirey worked to advance the department’s training and investigation division, enhanced emergency operations and developed fleet management programs to improve the operations at the department to better serve the community of Lebanon. According to the department, “Wirey has distinguished himself as one of the most dedicated, hard working leaders in the history of our department.”
For his final day on Jan. 12, Wirey invited the surviving members of his first shift at Lebanon Fire Department in 1991 alongside the current B-Shift firefighters that he elected to work alongside for his final months at the department for a traditional Lebanon Fire Department lunch of pizza burgers. According to the department, every firefighter in attendance shared stories and laughter from their time working alongside Wirey during his 33-year career.
Wirey has now become an official Lebanon Fire Department retiree, and the department encouraged the community to continue supporting him and sharing their own personal stories regarding their interactions with Wirey as he served on the department after he served for more than three decades.