Saturday, April 24, 1999
Rielage is Ohio's fire marshal
Colerain loses assistant chief
BY LEW MOORES
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLERAIN TOWNSHIP — An assistant fire chief here has been named state fire marshal. He will assume that duty Monday and relinquish his post with the township.
Assistant Fire Chief Bob Rielage, who has been with the township in its fire service for 27 years, will report directly to the director of the Ohio Department of Commerce.
As fire marshal, Mr. Rielage will head an office that is responsible for several bureaus, including public education, fire investigations, the Ohio Fire Academy (based in Reynoldsburg), code enforcement and inspections and the Bureau of Underground Storage Tanks.
“It's an exciting challenge and an exciting opportunity,” said Mr. Rielage. “And that's how I want to approach the job.”
Colerain Fire Chief Bruce Smith said he has served with Mr. Rielage in the township for 24 of Mr. Rielage's 27 years.
“Bob has played a key role in getting us to where we are today,” said Chief Smith.
The chief said Mr. Rielage, as assistant chief, has overseen the township department's customer service division, which included fire safety, investigations, public education and media relations.
The department has set up a Northgate Station, a storefront at Northgate Mall used for public education; and the division conducts a wide variety of public education programs that include CPR classes, encouraging residents to have smoke detectors in their homes and child safety seat inspections.
“Bob has been responsible for the oversight of that,” said Chief Smith.
Mr. Rielage has been with the department since 1972 and was appointed assistant fire chief in 1980.
He said he will find a place to live in the Reynoldsburg area, where the state fire marshal's office is located, but also will maintain his residence in Colerain Township. His wife, Diana Lynn Rielage, is a township trustee.
“As a family we're staying in Colerain Township,” said Mr. Rielage. “Our roots are in the community.”
Mr. Rielage was selected from among five candidates by Gary Suhadolnik, director of the commerce department.
In addition to its different bureaus, the fire marshal's office, which has about 200 employees, also keeps and coordinates fire statistics from the 1,300 fire departments around the state.
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