Veteran Fire Chief Selected to Lead the City of Petersburg’s Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services
Petersburg City Manager has announced the selection of Mr. Scott Liebold to serve as the City’s next Interim Fire Chief. The Fire Chief will lead the Petersburg Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services.
Chief Liebold has been selected to serve as the City’s Interim Fire Chief effective January 16, 2021. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Acting Fire Chief and Coordinator of Emergency Management with the City of Newport News Fire Department. Mr. Liebold has 40 years of public safety experience, 32 of which were spent serving the City of Newport News, Virginia. Mr. Liebold began his career in 1982 as a Firefighter before being promoted to Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, and Assistant Chief. He served as Assistant Chief until 2005, when he was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in 2010. Most recently, he has served as Acting Fire Chief from June 2010-2013 and has spent several years in private sector public safety consulting since his retirement.
Mr. Liebold is experienced in leadership and administration in all phases of the fire and emergency services: emergency management, fire protection services, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, special operations, recruitment, hiring, general public safety, and Virginia local government management.
During his career, he has developed, coordinated, led, and maintained major emergency plans, procedures, risk assessments, and continuity of operations planning to include work with mass casualties and medical facilities. He has also served on the local emergency management board as a subject matter expert and conducted department-wide training scenarios and tabletop exercises to develop coordinated readiness plans to handle large-scale emergencies or disasters.
Chief Liebold holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Christopher Newport University, an Associate’s Degree in Fire Science Technology from Thomas Nelson Community College, and a Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management from Virginia Tech. Mr. Liebold is a Certified Emergency Manager and holds numerous professional and Federal Emergency Management Agency certifications.