12/31/2021
It is with the most profound sadness that the Berks County Department of Emergency Services joins with the Keystone Fire Company #1 of Shillington in the announcement of the passing of retired Fire Chief Ed “Pop” Squibb. Rare are the people who give a lifetime of service to their community fire company. More rare yet, are those whose contributions go beyond that influence to a regional or county level. Ed’s impact on the Berks County emergency services rises to an even higher level, with almost every firefighter of the last three generations having benefited from his leadership and vision.
In the 1980’s, he, along with a few other like-minded fire service leaders, saw an opportunity to create a permanent home for firefighters to receive training in Berks County. Until that time, the closest thing to a training facility in Berks County was a location on the grounds of the state hospital in Wernersville where occasional “fire schools” were held. Ed, along with his associates, understood that the rapidly changing fire service needed a more appropriate location where training could be conducted in a geographically central location with safety of the student and the instructor as the central focus. They lobbied local officials at the County and the City of Reading and, through their efforts, the groundwork was laid for what is now the Berks County Fire Training Center on Fritz’s Island.
Prior to the Center being a department of county government, it was managed by a committee of representatives on which Ed sat as a member. He was one of the first two part time employees hired in the early 90’s to manage the facility, maintain it, and ensure evolutions were conducted in a safe manner. Ed continued working in this capacity until late 2020 when he stepped back and finally took a break from his continuous service in his late 80’s. Even then, he was a frequent visitor to the site, stopping in to say hello or chat about things.
Before last year, it would be hard to find a weekend where Ed was not at the site, patrolling around to ensure things were just so, that classes had what they needed, and that things were happening in a manner that ensured everyone was safe. As an instructor, it was always great to have him there as another “set of eyes” who could be counted on to apply his incredible knowledge gained from a lifetime of experience in the fire service. Countless students benefitted from his gentle (and sometimes properly less than gentle if you were being reckless or unsafe) guidance when evolutions were being taught and practiced.
Numerous men are credited with saying that there is no greater calling than service to your fellow man, and few men could be said to have answered that calling more fully than did Ed. Most of us can only hope to live beyond the physical through what we pass to our own children. Ed’s legacy includes the development of generations of public servants, and will continue to grow as future firefighters benefit from the vision he was instrumental in creating.
The men and women of DES offer our thanks to Ed for all the time he gave to us. We thank Bruce and Jeff for allowing us all to share their dad. Rest easy Pop, we will take it from here.
http://www.shillingtonfc.com/
