![\"Reading](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/DSC09696.jpg\")
Reading Fire Chief Robert Leonard II addresses the audience Monday after taking the oath as the city’s 22nd fire chief. (Courtesy city of Reading)<\/p>\nReading officially welcomed its newest fire chief, Robert Leonard II, into office during a ceremony Monday, when he and two veteran officers took their oaths before colleagues, family members and city officials.<\/p>\n
Leonard, 41, became the city\u2019s 22nd fire chief after his appointment was approved by City Council in March.<\/p>\n
He also became the first Black chief in the department\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
He previously served as a shift commander and director of training for Prince George\u2019s County Fire\/EMS Department in Maryland.<\/p>\n
He was joined for the ceremony during City Council\u2019s committee of the whole meeting by First Deputy Chiefs Richard Kuhn and Thomas J. Rehr. Both were recently promoted from second deputy chief to first deputy chief.<\/p>\n
Reading Fire Chief Robert Leonard II addresses the audience Monday after taking the oath as the city’s 22nd fire chief. (Courtesy city of Reading)<\/p>\n
Addressing the audience after taking the oath, Leonard thanked Mayor Eddie Moran, City Manager Jack Gombach, City Council and the many family members and friends who traveled from Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and elsewhere in Pennsylvania to witness the occasion.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour love and support has made this journey possible,\u201d Leonard said, \u201cand I couldn\u2019t be here without you. If my dad was alive, he\u2019d be sitting in the front row, smiling from ear to ear, enjoying this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leonard said he could almost hear his late father\u2019s frequent caution to stay humble and live up to the responsibility of the job. That advice has become a daily reminder since taking over the department.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince I started, I wake up every morning to remind myself, \u2018You\u2019re living your dream of being a fire chief, don\u2019t mess this up,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a simple thought, but it keeps me grounded. It reminds me of the responsibility that comes with this position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leonard also congratulated Kuhn and Rehr on their promotions, saying he looks forward to working alongside them as the department moves forward.<\/p>\n
He thanked the department\u2019s officers and firefighters for making him feel welcome during his first months in Reading.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made me feel like a part of the city of Reading family,\u201d he said. \u201cBeyond this department, this city has embraced me as one of their own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether residents have stopped him at intersections or approached him in local restaurants to ask how they can support the fire department, Leonard said he has been humbled by the community\u2019s reception.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, he said his focus remains on earning the confidence of those he leads.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy priority is to build trust with the men and women of this great department,\u201d he said. \u201cTrust is earned through honesty, consistency and showing up for one another every day. I\u2019m committed to earning that trust and serving alongside each of you with integrity, humility and respect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moran praised Leonard\u2019s performance during his initial months on the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that you have been doing an amazing job thus far,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to you having a great, long, safe career with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thanked Leonard and the city\u2019s firefighters for their service.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re grateful to have you,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re honored to have you serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moran also thanked Leonard\u2019s family and members of his former department for supporting the new chief throughout the transition to Reading.<\/p>\n
He also thanked former Chief James Stoudt, who retired in February after nearly 35 years with the department, including four years as chief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reading officially welcomed its newest fire chief, Robert Leonard II, into office during a ceremony Monday, when he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,857,182,139,28,736,128,130,129,706],"class_list":["post-232711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-essential-reading","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-reg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}