08/19/2026
Congrats to Assistant Chief Velivis on the well deserved recognition.
We are proud to announce that FWFC Assistant Chief Zach Velivis is being honored with the Firefighters Association of the State of Pennsylvania - Charles Pentz Memorial Fire Training Award. Established in 1982, the award honors a person that has done the most outstanding job training their fellow firefighters to suppress fires, save lives and property of the Commonwealth's Citizens. The award will be presented at the state conference in September in Monroeville, PA.
Zach has been a member of the FWFC for 26 years and has served as our training officer for the past decade. Under his tenure and leadership, the FWFC has emerged as a leader in the region for training. During a time of reduced volunteerism, Zach's progressive and aggressive approach to training has had a tremendous impact on our organization's ability to mitigate incidents and recruit/retain volunteers. Zach's dedication to training the fire service extends far beyond the membership of the FWFC, as he regularly organizes opportunities open to firefighters far and wide. Below are just some of the training programs that Zach has been involved in:
-Southeastern Pennsylvania Fire Training Conference (SEPA) – Zach is one of the organizers of the annual conference, now in its 5th year, that brings nationally renowned speakers to the area.
-Coordinated and organized Acquired Live Fire Training Evolutions (North Hills, Virginia Drive, Prudential) for the FWFC and mutual aid departments. Zach applied for permits, recruited State Fire Academy Instructors, and advised the general public in advance, following all local, county, and state guidelines. These were the first acquired structure burns conducted in our county in over 20 years.
-Hosted hands-on training classes, including Nozzle Forward, Training to Perform Under Pressure, Mike Dragonetti Elevator Training, and Combat Ready Training.
-Brought in renowned speakers for FWFC regular drill nights. Speakers/Programs included Insight Fire Training, Ricky Riley, Tim Klett, and Bobby Eckert.
-Constructed Training Props at the FWFC Training Grounds, such as "Interstate 88", an area dedicated to limited access highway drills/scenarios.
-Attended continuing education conferences to include FDIC and Curt Isakson's Command Officer Boot Camp.
-Designed and coordinated the construction of a VES prop in our station mezzanine and is currently working on expanding our mezzanine prop to include rooms for search training.
Due to our strong training culture, we had an average of 37 members at our weekly drills in 2025.
Great job, Zach and congratulations!
