On October 2,1997 Robert Wright was sworn in as the fifteenth Fire Chief of the nation's oldest  fully paid, professional Fire Department. He has served with the Cincinnati Fire Department for over 28 years. The Cincinnati Fire Department employs a diverse workforce of 787 uniformed employees who provide fire and emergency services to over 78 square miles.

Before he entered the fire service, Chief Wright enlisted for 3 years of duty in the United States Army Security Agency as a traffic analyst. He served the majority of his assignment in West Germany. Shortly after his discharge from the military, he signed up to become a firefighter. Early in his career he realized the value of higher learning and enrolled in the University of Cincinnati. He graduated, with honors, with an associate degree and a bachelor degree in Fire Science Technology. He was selected as one of the University of Cincinnati's College of Applied Sciences distinquished alumni and was also selected as its 1996 Alumni of the Year. He has also attended numerous fire service training schools and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer's Program.

He has endeavored to expand his experiences and knowledge by serving on the City of Cincinnati's Middle Management Board. He is currently a member of the NFPA, IAFC, IABPFF, NFBPA, the Southwest Ohio Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team, the Southwestern Ohio Safe Kids program, a mentoring program called Partners in Education, and many other organizations. He is also involved in numerous civic activities within the community.

Chief Wright's goal is to position his department to begin the new millenium as it began the last one, leading the way. His number one goal is to make the most dangerous venue in your day - your home - the safest place within the community. The department has an aggressive community outreach program that continuously provides smoke detectors and carbon monoxide protectors to everyone within the community. The program is unequalled in that it also provides both smoke detecors and carbon monoxide detectors to the hearing-impaired. They are also partners in Risk Watch, Learn Not Burn, and Safe Kids programs. His aim is to prevent fire deaths, carbon monoxide deaths, and other accidental deaths in the home and away from home.

He and his wife, Diane, live in the Mt. Airy section of Cincinnati. They have been married for over 30 years and have one son, Robert.