New Cranston fire chief sworn in Tuesday

CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Robert Ryan was sworn in as the 20th fire chief of Cranston Tuesday by Mayor Kenneth Hopkins.

The ceremony took place with members of the Ryan family, elected officials and fire chiefs from across the state on hand.

Chief Ryan’s wife Jane pinned the new chief’s badge on his uniform after he was sworn in by Mayor Hopkins.

“His experience across all divisions and stations in our city made my selection of Bob Ryan as our Chief, a comfortable one,” Hopkins said. “Ryan is a firefighter’s firefighter.”

Ryan started with the Cranston Fire Department in 1988 and climbed the ranks while serving at various stations throughout the city.

He was named Deputy Chief in January of 2019, and will now be in charge 196 firefighters, 15 staff and oversee the department’s $37 million budget.