In small towns, 4 major blazes in 4 days highlight strain on volunteer firefighters
After battling a stubborn house fire for nearly seven hours, it was after 9 p.m. Tuesday before firefighters finally hung up their soot-covered outfits at Tower City Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.
Around 10 of the company’s 15 active firefighters had turned out for the intense two-alarm blaze that consumed two houses and left Kelly and Valerie Underkoffler homeless.
Firefighters choked back a dense cloud of black smoke, using grappling hooks to expose the blaze in the walls and roofs of the twin home on South Fourth Street. The column of black smoke rising from the blaze could be seen for miles around.
The day after the fire, Tower City Fire Chief Michael Keiter said the intensity of the incident had taken a toll on the town’s firefighters.
“Everyone’s exhausted,” he said. “We would respond if we had a fire today, but none of us would be 100%.”
In the space of four days recently, firefighters responded to major fires in the four corners of Schuylkill County.
From Tamaqua west to Tower City, and from West Brunswick Township north to Union Township, the volunteers left their homes, jobs or activities to fight the fires, including in the early morning and late at night.
Jesse Zimmerman, Orwigsburg’s fire chief, said firefighters from southern Schuylkill County and beyond spent 12 hours battling an inferno that engulfed a warehouse near Heim Construction Co. in West Brunswick.
“It puts a strain on firefighters,” Zimmerman said. “They’re out there for hours at a time.”
When he got home that evening, the chief had something to eat, showered and went to bed.
“I had a course to teach [the next day],” he said. “When the alarm went off, I was not ready to get out of bed.”
Frank Zangari Jr., president of the Schuylkill County Fire Chiefs Association, said the impact on firefighters often goes unnoticed.
“Firefighting is very difficult work,” Zangari said. “It takes a toll on the human body.”
Commitment, character
Numerous companies from communities in western Schuylkill County responded to the Tower City fire, and Zimmerman said the West Brunswick fire brought assistance from units from five counties.
While Pine Grove North End’s aerial ladder was bombarding the blaze for several hours in Tower City, there were two fire calls back home in Pine Grove.
When the alarm, cellphone or pager goes off, Zangari says, it’s typical for firefighters to drop everything and respond. Sometimes they leave work or miss doctor’s appointments.
Zangari, a firefighter for more than 40 years, said Schuylkill County is fortunate to have fire companies that are 100% volunteer. The only paid firefighter is Pottsville Fire Chief James E. Misstishin Sr.
“It’s amazing,” Zangari said. “It speaks well of the families that live in our county.”
It’s not uncommon for several members of a family to be involved in emergency services.
Zangari, his wife, son and daughter-in-law are all involved in the fire service.
“When the alarm goes off, we all go,” said Zangari, who is Girardville’s fire chief.
While many fire companies are short on volunteers, there’s good news at the Schuylkill County Training Academy in Frackville.
“We will soon have 72 new firefighters,” Zangari said. “That’s our largest class ever.”
A chief ’s concern
Tamaqua firefighters arrived on scene about 11 p.m. Saturday to find a house engulfed in flames.
Initially, it was thought someone was trapped inside. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case and no one was injured.
Still, it took more than three hours to bring the intense blaze under control.
Fire Chief James R. Connely didn’t get home until 3:30 a.m. Sunday, then was back on the scene at 8:30 a.m. performing an inspection and supervising the cleanup.
As chief of the borough’s four fire companies, Connely is well aware of the strain on volunteer firefighters and their families.
For 31 years, he drove two hours round trip to a job in southern Lehigh County, then volunteered at American Hose Company in the evenings.
Now 66 and semi-retired, he tries to shoulder as much responsibility as possible, relieving the burden on younger firefighters.
“When my kids were growing up, I lost some time with them,” Connely said. “I don’t want to see it happen to others; I want them to be able to be with their families and enjoy their children while they’re young.”