`Local man to head Trumbull Co. EMA`

* * *

Masury native to take over Trumbull County EMA Jan. 3

Timothy Lane

A Masury native will head up the Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency starting Jan. 3. Timothy Lane was selected from 65 applicants last week by the Trumbull County EMA executive board as the new director. Lane will replace Joseph Bartlomain, who retired at the end of September after serving as EMA director for nine years.

“I was surprised,” Lane said when he spoke of the interview process. He was among eight applicants called in for the first interview and one of two candidates selected for a second interview.

Lane has been retired from the military for two and a half years. He was scheduled to begin the West Virginia State Trooper Academy in October when he postponed his entrance until January to take care of personal business at home. In the process, he started looking for a job in Ohio and heard about the open EMA director position.

“I looked at what the job was about, I looked at my background, and I said, ‘There’s a match,’ ” Lane said. He submitted his resume at the end of October.

Lane has lived in Masury all his life, except for five and a half years while serving in the military when he lived overseas and in various other states. After retiring from the service, Lane worked as a liquor enforcement officer for the Pennsylvania State Police and as a postal carrier in Sharon.

Lane said he wasn’t too disappointed about turning down the job offer from the West Virginia State Police because his intentions after retiring from the service were to stay in Ohio. “One of the things I was looking for was an opportunity to keep me here,” he said.

Before his retirement, Lane spent 16½ years in the service. He was an Air Force para-rescueman, which involved search and rescue response, handling hazardous materials and paramedic work, and he was a medical evacuation pilot in the Army for three years.

Lane said his military experience helped prepare him for emergency situations. “It’s a combination of my Army and Air Force experience that helped me qualify for this position,” Lane said.

Lane said he thinks it was his leadership and managerial skills that helped him land the job over some of the other applicants who had more emergency experience.

He said he feels confident that the EMA executive board will serve as a support base when it comes to making decisions.

“It’s not really a one-person decision-making process,” he said.

The first thing Lane plans to do as the new EMA director is to familiarize himself with the county’s resources and emergency plan. He said he doesn’t plan on making any changes at this time; he just wants to “get in there and see how things go.”

“It’s one of those opportunities ... It’s not like you grow up wanting to be the EMA director,” Lane said. “You just look at your own skills and match them with the position. I think it’s a match.”

Back to TOP // Herald Local news // Local news headlines // Herald Home page

Questions/comments: herald@pgh.net
For info about advertising on our site or Web-page creation: advertising@sharon-herald.com