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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The city welcomed Thomas Hart as its newest firefighter Monday with a swearing-in ceremony at City Hall.</p><p>The 23-year-old Hart will make the switch from a volunteer firefighter in Fountain Hill, Lehigh County, to a 70-member, full-time, paid department that responds to approximately 10,000 emergencies annually.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s kind of overwhelming on the inside. It&#8217;s very exciting. I wanted to do this for many years,&#8221; Hart said. Patrick Hart, 17, held the Bible for his brother as Mayor Tony George administered the oath.</p><p>Hart, of Bethlehem, said he&#8217;s taken numerous civil service exams for firefighting positions with other departments. The city&#8217;s Fire Civil Service Commission forwarded Hart&#8217;s name for the position left vacant when a Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department member took a job with the New York City Fire Department.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney said Hart is a good fit for the department. The chief noted Hart is a certified emergency medical technician with the Easton and Bethlehem Township fire departments and a certified fire inspector with the Salisbury Township Police Department. He&#8217;s also earned an associate&#8217;s degree in criminal justice. In addition to all that, Hart has been assistant chief at the Fountain Hill department where he&#8217;s served for seven years.</p><p>&#8220;He comes to us well-rounded,&#8221; Delaney said.</p><p>His background puts him about three-quarters of the way through the required training for a firefighter, according to the chief. Hart will undergo approximately four weeks of orientation, learning procedures, apparatus and the layout of the city before he is assigned shift duty, Delaney said.</p><p>Hart will paid $48,871 annually plus benefits in the union position.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;ll be a change just because it&#8217;s a whole new area for me and also it&#8217;s a much busier department than what I&#8217;m used to,&#8221; Hart said. &#8220;But I&#8217;m certainly excited and welcome the change.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, right, swore in Thomas Hart, the newest member of the city fire department, at City Hall on Monday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL080817WBFirefighter1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George, right, swore in Thomas Hart, the newest member of the city fire department, at City Hall on Monday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_WBFireFighter.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Thomas Hart, right, listens to Wilkes-Barre City Fire Chief Jay Delaney before being sworn in Monday as the newest member of the fire department at City Hall in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_WBFireFighter.cmyk_.jpg</photo1><caption1>Thomas Hart, right, listens to Wilkes-Barre City Fire Chief Jay Delaney before being sworn in Monday as the newest member of the fire department at City Hall in Wilkes-Barre. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Chief: New Wilkes-Barre firefighter a good fit for department