PITTSBURGH \u2014 Mat Davis was sworn in as Chief of Fire for the City of Pittsburgh during a ceremony attended by friends, family and colleagues.<\/p>\n
Davis had been serving as acting chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire since earlier this year, after Darryl Jones was placed on administrative leave.<\/a><\/p>\n City officials highlighted his leadership experience across Western Pennsylvania fire departments before administering the oath of office.<\/p>\n Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams opened the swearing-in ceremony by emphasizing the responsibility associated with the leadership position. <\/p>\n \u201cAs you take the oath today, remember it\u2019s more than words spoken; it\u2019s a promise,\u201d Williams said. \u201cA promise to serve with honor, lead with integrity, protect with courage and remain accountable to the people of this great city.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor thanked the family and friends who supported Davis throughout his career in fire service. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is a person we\u2019ve seen over the last few months step naturally into this leadership position,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cIt was a simple choice for us to ask Chief Davis to move into this role.\u201d<\/p>\n After taking the oath, Davis addressed the audience to express gratitude. <\/p>\n \u201cIt means more to me than I can possibly express to look out into this room and see so many faces who have championed me, encouraged me and supported me along my career journey,\u201d Davis said. \u201cI never thought I would be standing here today. But because of you, I am. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Davis began his firefighting career in 2004 at the Dormont Fire Department, where he later served as chief. <\/p>\n His background also includes part-time service with the Swissvale and North Strabane Fire Departments. <\/p>\n In 2023, Davis joined the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire as assistant chief of community risk reduction. <\/p>\n In addition to serving as a mentor and fire instructor for new recruits and partner agencies, Davis holds a bachelor\u2019s degree and an MBA from Point Park University and is a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n