01/18/2026
PSA: Something I wanted to mention after last night's fire: Every firefighter that responded last night was a volunteer. Every single one.
Yeah, I know, most of you already know that. But, I also know many of us take these folks for granted.
When you call 911, you expect whatever emergency service you need to promptly respond. For our fire department, that means folks dropping whatever they're doing to go put their life on the line for you, your family (obv including your pets), your home, and all the same for your neighbors and, well, all of us.
In the case of last night, that meant getting out of bed to head out into frigid and, later, snowy conditions to protect the neighborhood. And these weren't just folks from Shenandoah or even just the greater Shenandoah and Mahanoy Valleys.
Ringtown, Ashland, Nuremberg, Sheppton, Pottsville, you name it. On top of that, you have the crews who come to town to cover for SFD, making sure if anything else happens, it's handled. In last night's case, that was Girardville's Rangers Hose Co. handling a car crash.
Our volunteers in this region are certainly, in my opinion, among the best around. And it isn't just on the fire side, either -- even as many of our EMS services have shifted towards paid staff, there have been plenty of fires where Shenandoah Community Ambulance volunteers have brought out just about every truck they have.
WHAT'S MY POINT, besides praising these folks? They need our help and support. And, if you're not from the Shenandoah area, this applies to you and your area, too, provided you have volunteer firefighters/emergency services.
Volunteerism is declining all over. If you have it in you to do what they do, grab an application and do it. They need the help.
For example, Hazleton has a combination volunteer/paid department. The union for the paid staff says most volunteers in the department respond to less than 10 calls a year.
If fighting fires isn't for you, maybe you can help behind the scenes with fundraisers or tasks around the station, things like that.
At the very least, support their fundraisers. Maybe stop by a bingo night, a hoagie sale, or pick up a shirt if they're selling them. Every little bit helps.
Bottom line is, our volunteers are a Godsend to our community. Help 'em out if you can!