Local first responders receive Medals of Valor

Community members who aided in rescue efforts recognized with plaque to hang at Borough Hall

WEST CHESTER » Hundreds of people attended the Barclay Friends Senior Living Community Remembrance and Commemoration event at Emilie Asplundh Concert Hall in West Chester Saturday.

Many were honored for risking their lives to help the residents inside the facility when the fire broke out. Many citations were issued to first responders, emergency personnel and law enforcement.

On April 2, Barclay Friends began welcoming new and returning residents home to the Cotter building, which houses the skilled nursing program. This building has been repaired and renovated after receiving some water damage during the fire. Additionally, there is a newly installed fire safety system as part of these renovations. The building has been thoroughly inspected by Pennsylvania’s Department of Health’s Life Safety Division and Division of Nursing, as well as the West Chester Fire Marshall and Code Enforcement Officer.

The new building will be called the Preston Residence and it will be designed to meet the growing needs of the aging population in a modern, comfortable setting.

Recognizing that Barclay Friends has a 125-year history in West Chester, staff will continue to engage the greater community through its two annual fundraising events: The Seventeenth Annual Golf Classic on June 11 and the Fourteenth Annual Secret Gardens of West Chester Tour and Plant Sale on Sept. 8.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS Officers with the West Chester Borough Police Department receive Medals of Valor, at last week’s ceremony, from Police Chief Scott L. Bohn. From left to right are: Officer Reinaldo Melendez, Officer Daniel Quinn, Cpl. Brad Bergey, Bohn, Officer Aaron Davis, and Officer Jerry Ferriola.Members of the community who aided in the rescue efforts at the Barclay Friends Home fire in November were awarded a plaque that will hang in the newly renovated West Chester Borough Hall. Presenting the award to the community at large are, from left: West Chester Chief of Police Scott L. Bohn, Elias Byrne, Mayor Dianne Herrin, Jeremy Phillips, Kelly Burns, and Fire Chief Jonathan Stafford.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Members of the West Chester Fire Department receive Medals of Valor from West Chester Fire Chief Jonathan Stafford in wake of the Barclay Friends Home fire in November.