Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
New West Grove Fire Co. chief using incentives to lure volunteers
WEST GROVE » For many kids, the school bus stop is a dreaded reminder of the dreary day that lies ahead.
Justin Gattorno was never in that category.
In fact, he recalled, those few morning moments may have been the high point of his day. “The bus stop was right in front of the local fire company,” he said. “I used to see the firefighters washing the fire trucks on the apron of the fire station. I would always say hello
and sometimes ask questions. “
A few years later, still beguiled by the men who manned those black-overred fire trucks, Gattorno signed up as a junior firefighter with the Coolbaugh Township Volunteer Fire Co., which makes its headquarters in Tobyhanna , just north of Mt. Pocono in Monroe County.
His father, Thomas, was supportive of the move but his mother, Brigitte, was supportive but skeptical. “She thought it was just a phase I was going through and that I’d only be in the fire service for a year or two,” Gattorno admitted.
Little did his mother know that 23 years later, Gattorno would still be in the fire service and that this year he would be elected chief of the West Grove Fire Co. in Chester County.
As the newly elected chief, Gattorno, 38, has set for himself a number of goals.
“We have a good number of volunteers now,” he said. “but in the fire service, you always need more: volunteers are always moving out of the area, working two jobs and taking care of their children at home. I want to bolster up our recruitment and retention efforts because active, trained volunteers are invaluable to the fire company and the community.
“I’m also looking into incentives for the volunteers,” he sai. “I’m going to be contacting the municipalities that we serve to explore their interest in offering tax breaks to the volunteers. I’d also like to offer comprehensive physical examinations to the volunteers , which is especially important if someone doesn’t have health insurance.“
Growing up in Tobyhanna, Gattorno was active in several sports. As a member of the local swim club, he competed regionally against other swim clubs. He also played youth league baseball and varsity football at Pocono Mt. High School.
Upon graduating high school in 1997, Gattorno attended Penn State University at its Harrisburg campus and majored in structural design and construction engineering. His schooling was briefly interrupted, however, by a stint with the Army National Guard
“Several friends of mine and I had gotten interested in joining the Guard. A recruiter came over to talk with us one day. After he left, we talked it over and decided it would be worthwhile for us to get involved. We joined in 1999 and later our company was activated, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.”
Gattorno spent the next eight months in Europe, assisting the military police in protecting military housing and bases. Afterwards, he returned to the States, completed his schooling and earned a bachelor of science degree in structural design and construction engineering. For the past 14 years, Gattorno has been a civil engineer for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Transportation.