Feb. 26—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — West Hills Regional Fire Department rang in 2024 with a new fire chief.

Kevin Schrock took over Jan. 1 from Rob Tauber, who is now deputy fire chief.

Schrock has been a member of the West Hills fire department since 2001.

That’s when the nation was reeling from terror attacks. Islamic extremists crashed airliners in New York, Washington, and Somerset County.

“I had thought about joining the fire department,” Schrock said, “but when 9/11 hit, I said, ‘That’s it, I’m doing it.’ “

Schrock is a full-time career firefighter in Richland Township and a retired fire captain with the Johnstown Fire Department.

He is a nationally registered paramedic, a state fire instructor and a former member of Westmont Borough Council.

Schrock is married and has a teenage son.

He takes over a department with 34 active members with stations in Westmont, Ferndale and Brownstown boroughs.

The fire department also protects the Westwood section of Lower Yoder Township.

“I’ve been able to do many things in my career and now I’m the fire chief,” he said. “I’m pretty proud of that.”

Any calls stand out?

“That’s a hard question to answer,” Schrock said. “I’ve been on technical rescues, water rescue deployments, house fires, EMS calls … there’s been a lot.”

Tauber stepped down after five years as fire chief. He has been with the department since 1985.

He said it was time to turn over the lead role to Schrock.

“We had talked about it and felt it was best to have Kevin move the department forward,” Tauber said. “I have all the confidence in the world in Kevin or we would not have made this decision.”

Schrock calls West Hills Regional a “very progressive” fire department. He continues to focus on firefighter training and maintaining the equipment, which helps when applying for grant money.

Schrock becomes the fifth fire chief to lead the department since 1980. He is eager to continue the legacy of his colleagues.

“I’m super, super proud to follow in the footsteps of those gentlemen,” he said. “They’ve done a tremendous service to the department and to this community.”