Upper Moreland Township Has Named A New Fire Chief In The Community

UPPER MORELAND, PA — The township has a new chief at the helm of the local fire department.

Upper Moreland officials announced Thursday that Edward Glassman has been named as the new fire chief, with Glassman being the first to serve the role in the newly created position.

Glassman, who has 30 years of firefighting experience under his belt, is expected to begin his job on Jan. 3, 2022.

"I am honored to be selected as the new Fire Chief and I am excited to be part of the great team providing fire services to Upper Moreland Township," Glassman said in a statement. "I appreciate the confidence that the Board of Commissioners and Township Manager Matt Candland have in me.

"I want to build a strong organization to serve the needs of the community," he continued. "I look forward to serving the businesses and citizens of Upper Moreland and hope to speak to all of you soon."

In a statement, Board of Commissioners President Kevin Spearing said that Glassman's "reputation as an experienced leader in the fire service with emphasis in team-building make him a good fit for Upper Moreland Township.

"We are all excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with Chief Glassman to renew our organization," Spearing stated. "Ed's experience and leadership will help change the image of the Willow Grove Fire Department, develop our membership and grow our organization to better fit the needs of our community."

Glassman worked a long career in both the fire services and police services for the city of Camden, N.J.

According to a bio provided by Upper Moreland Township, Glassman worked for Camden from 1986 to 2020, starting his career as a law enforcement officer and then transitioning to firefighting in 1991. In the fire services, Glassman served as firefighter, fire captain, battalion fire chief and deputy fire chief/emergency management coordinator.

He also served as a volunteer firefighter in Glouster City, N.J. for 20 years.

Since his retirement, Glassman has been working as an emergency management specialist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Candland, the township manager, stated that he is looking forward to having Glassman join the township's management team, and that "we look forward to what Chief Glassman will bring to the organization.

"We are confident he will work well with his team to move the department forward," Candland stated.

In an interview with Patch, Candland explained that Upper Moreland has had what he called a combined fire department for the past 30-some years, with five paid firefighters working alongside a number of volunteer members.

He said under the previous system, there was a volunteer chief, and that for the past five years there existed a paid director of emergency services.

This new fire chief position, he said, would be part of the paid staff, and would essentially replace the volunteer chief role as well as the director of emergency services role.