New fire marshal in McCandless

McCandless has a new fire marshal, Jeff Wissner.

As head of the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Protection for McCandless Township, Wissner will be responsible for conducting fire inspections of commercial buildings to ensure code compliance, conducting fire prevention programs, investigating the origin and cause of fires and providing support to volunteer fire companies.

He began his new position Jan. 17 and most recently was employed in Bellevue, where he was the borough’s building code official and zoning officer.

Wissner began as a career firefighter with the Bellevue Fire Department in 2003 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. He was hired as fire marshal for the borough in 2008 and then, a few years later, appointed as the borough’s deputy emergency management coordinator, he said.

In November 2020, he retired from the fire department before becoming Bellevue’s building code official and zoning officer.

Wissner, who lives in Ohio Township with his wife and two teenage sons, has been a Pennsylvania state fire instructor since 2003, which includes teaching for Community College of Allegheny County, Bucks County Community College, Butler County Community College and the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy.

Wissner stared out in the 1980s as a volunteer firefighter with the Perrysville Volunteer Fire Company in Ross Township.

Wissner has a degree from the Penn State, said Robert Grimm, town manager at McCandless. Wissner said he graduated from North Hills School District and his children attend Avonworth School District.

He’s also a member of the Ohio Township Volunteer Fire Company.

“He’s worn a lot of hats for (Bellevue) borough and has done a lot of good work for them,” Grimm said.

McCandless’ former fire marshal, Dan Stack, resigned in September 2021.

“I know I have some big shoes to fill as fire marshal for the Town of McCandless as Dan Stack did an excellent job, serving over 25 years as the fire marshal,” Wissner said.