Leadership

James Rush currently serves as our Fire Chief. Jim is certified as a Firefighter II, Inspector I, Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, Confined Space Rescue Technician, Rope Rescue Technician, Structural Collapse Operations II, HAZMAT Technician, and Pump Operations II. Additionally, he is also a paramedic. All 42 years of Jim’s Fire Service experience has been with Pleasant Hills, where he is going into his 3rd year as chief.

Joseph Persichetti currently serves as our 1st Assistant Chief. Joseph holds a Fire Officer I certification, which requires certifications up to Firefighter II and Instructor I. Additionally he is certified as a Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician. He has 12 years of experience in the Fire Service, and has been with the Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company since 2014, where he has served as an Assistant Chief since 2022.

Todd Pritchard currently serves as our 2nd Assistant Chief and Business Manager. He is certified as a Firefighter II, Instructor I, and Inspector I. Todd also holds several certifications in Technical Rescue such as Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, Confined Space Technical Rescuer II, Trench Technical Rescuer II, Vehicle and Machinery Technician Rescuer I. Additionally, he is a certified EMT Instructor and has had an extensive career as a paramedic, previously serving as Medical Rescue Team South Authority’s Chief. All 35 years of Todd’s Fire Service experience has been with Pleasant Hills, where he also served as Chief for 7 years.

Jera Esper currently serves as our 1st Lieutenant. Jera holds certifications in Firefighter I, Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, Structural Collapse Operations, Incident Safety Officer, and is also certified in Pump Operations II. All 6 years of Jera’s Fire Service experience has been with Pleasant Hills, where she has served as a Lieutenant since 2023.

Michael Petrilli currently serves as our 2nd Lieutenant. Michael holds certifications in Firefighter I, Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, Water Rescue, Incident Safety Officer, and is also certified in Pump Operations II. Michael has been in the Fire Service for 9 years, 2 of which have been at the Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company, furthermore he has been a Lieutenant for both of these years.

Nicholas Rush currently serves as our 3rd Lieutenant. Nick holds certifications in Firefighter I, Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, and Structural Collapse Operations. All 5 years of Nick’s Fire Service experience has been with Pleasant Hills, this will be his first year as a lieutenant.

Marty George currently serves as our Rescue Lieutenant. Marty holds a Fire Officer I certification, which requires certifications up to Firefighter II and Instructor I. He also holds several Instructor certifications such as Instructor II, PA State Fire Academy Suppression Instructor, AHA CPR Instructor, and Stop The Bleed Instructor. Additionally, he is certified as an EMT-B, Water Rescue Technician, Incident Safety Officer, and as a Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician. Marty has been in the Fire Service for 22 years, 5 of which being at the Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company.

Brian Mueller currently serves as our Chief Engineer. Brian holds certifications in Firefighter II, Basic Vehicle Rescue Technician, Pump Operations II, Engine Company Operations, Truck Company Operations, Confined Space Rescue, and Basic Rope Rescue. All 38 years of Brian’s Fire Service experience has been with Pleasant Hills, 25 of those years as being our Chief Engineer.