Hermitage fire marshal, 68, earns his master's degree

YOUNGSTOWN -- Robert Goeltz, 68, the Hermitage Fire Department's chief fire marshal, received a master of science degree in criminal justice from Youngstown State University at summer commencement Saturday.
Goeltz, who is also a Youngstown State University instructor, said in a recent statement that colleagues inspired him to complete the master's degree program he began in 1979.
Goeltz, a 1955 graduate of Sharon High School, began his career with the Hermitage Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter in 1958.
While volunteering, he took classes part-time at then Youngstown University. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1962 from Youngstown University and worked in sales for General Fireproofing in Youngstown. He also continued to work part time for the fire department.
In 1970, Goeltz accepted the full-time position of fire chief, a post he gave up to become chief fire marshal in 1978.
In 1990, Goeltz accepted an invitation to teach a new fire sciences class in the criminal justice department at YSU and has taught at the university ever since.