Lehigh County Executive Bill Hansell has announced the hiring of Scott J. Lindenmuth as the new director of Emergency Management Services.

"I am pleased to have found someone so quickly who has such strong support in the emergency services community," said Hansell on April 8. "We look forward to working with Scott as a leader on our team."

Lindenmuth is the former fire chief and emergency management coordinator for the City of Allentown. After his retirement from the city, he served as manager of Lehigh Carbon Community College's public safety leadership center and project manager for adult learning and training grants as well as public safety grants from the federal government.

One of Lindenmuth's initial areas of focus will be to increase the visibility of the county's emergency management team in the community.

"I look forward to working with the staff at Lehigh County and participating with Lehigh County's team of first responders and the community at large," said Lindenmuth.

Lindenmuth will begin his new position effective April 29.