Charles “Chip” Rielage, Tipp City's Assistant Chief of Fire and EMS, is leaving to take a similar job in Turtlecreek Township, home of the city of Lebanon. After four years as Assistant Chief, Rielage will leave Tipp on Wednesday, August 28, and begin his new but familiar job the next day, Thursday, August 29.

Rielage said he will face many of the same problems in Turtlecreek Township as he and Tipp Chief Cameron Haller have faced in Tipp City for the last several years. Turtlecreek Township’s Fire/EMS force was composed of mostly volunteers in the past, just like Tipp City. And like Tipp, the township’s volunteer and part-time force has dwindled and new volunteers are not coming forward. The township covers about 62 square miles and is served by three Fire/EMS stations, said Rielage, and the present 24 full-time firefighters and EMS personnel just aren’t enough...more of both are needed.

The situation in Turtlecreek, so similar to what Rielage experienced in Tipp City, and his knowledge of Fire/EMS operations, were two of the major reasons he was hired, he said. Then he added, “My experience with the similar situation in Tipp City was a big factor.” Of course, he said, when he arrives in Turtlecreek he’ll have to meet everyone, get to know them and the environment, and collaborate with them for a while before he can make any significant changes. He’ll need to work with them to both understand them and the way things work in Turtlecreek Township, he said.

Good luck, Chip!