Fire Department First in Lehigh County to Receive Highest Rescue Certification "The East Penn Press  01/30/08" Story By Cindy Singles   The Lower Macungie Fire Department is the only fire department currently in the Lehigh County to achieve the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s advanced rescue certification.   Everitt Binns, Ph.D.; Executive Director of the Eastern PA EMS Council and Ed Moreland, Director of EMS Quality Improvement for the Eastern PA Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Health presented the certification to LMFD Chief Dave Nosal, Wednesday evening during a ceremony held at the fire station.  The department completed the advanced rescue certification program which is the highest attainable level offered and is now one of only five fire departments in the Eastern Pennsylvania EMS Council’s six county region to obtain this level.  This recognition comes after two years of hard work and time devoted by the department’s volunteer firefighters. Certification requirements included additional training in rescue, hazardous materials and first aid, evaluation of equipment standards, policies and procedures in the department, physical inspection of apparatus, equipment along with a review of each member’s training certifications.  Chief Dave Nosal described this certification as “bringing the Lower Macungie Fire Department yet another step closer to being the best fire department it possibly can be; it also reaffirms our commitment to the residents of LMT.” He congratulated the firefighters on their team effort and accomplishment advising them to “prepare for the future by building on what we have done in the past.” He acknowledged Rescue Captain Dave Haight who was instrumental in the certification.     This achievement comes almost one year after the department obtained the highest fire service training honor by the Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner and became one of less than twenty-four fire departments in the Commonwealth to achieve the highest level of certification from the Fire Commissioner.  There are approximately 2,400 fire departments in Pennsylvania.  “The department is made up of volunteer neighbors who want to help other neighbors with a belief to give back to the community in which they live; giving back by helping others in their time of need 24/7, 365 (days) and on occasion putting themselves at risk while doing it,” said Chief Nosal.  In 2007 LMFD responded to over 400 fire calls.  Representative Doug Reichley attended the ceremony presenting Chief Nosal with a citation saluting, commending and celebrating the accomplishment of the department describing the firefighters as “truly the unsung heroes of the Lower Macungie Township,” and their unmentioned sacrifices making them “truly a band of brothers together.”  Ellen Millard-Kern, Chief of Staff representing Senator Pat Browne also presented a proclamation to the department acknowledging the “immeasurable contributions to the citizens of LMT and the department’s accomplishment.”  Through the dedication and commitment of volunteer firefighters, Lower Macungie Fire Department will continue to face new challenges including increased growth in the township and a much higher call volume.  Chief Nosal said the new proposed station will put fire service within one and one-half miles of twenty developments entailing 4,100 homes and over 10,000 people bringing hopes of faster response time and better fire protection.  “Combined with quality training that equates to a greater possibility to saving lives and property,” said Nosal.

"The Morning Call., Copyright 03/23/07" Story By Randy Kraft       The Lower Macungie Fire Department is the first area fire company to achieve the state fire commissioner's highest training honor. All of the volunteer department's 26 active members have been certified in the Pennsylvania Participating Department Certification Program.* Only 17 other departments across the state have received the honor, according to state Fire Commissioner Edward Mann, who will present the Lower Macungie department with its certification at 7pm in its fire station at 958 Brookside Road. ''They have proven they can not only talk the talk, but they can walk the walk,'' Mann said. ''It shows citizens of Lower Macungie that they've got firefighters in their community who have proven themselves to a national standard.'' Pennsylvania has about 2,400 fire departments, including both paid and volunteer firefighters, according to Lower Macungie Fire Chief David Nosal. Lower Macungie's force is volunteer.  ''Being one of less than 20 fire departments statewide to achieve this honor not only only speaks volumes of our training efforts, but also to the commitment our volunteers have to protecting the residents of Lower Macungie Township,'' Nosal said. The company responds to about 375 calls each year in the township. No other fire departments or companies in Lehigh or Northampton counties have achieved the honor, according to a list provided by Mann. ''Certification in Pennsylvania is voluntary,'' Mann said. ''What they've done they've done on their own. There is no mandate for them to have certified firefighters. They need to be given a lot of credit.'' Mann said the certification means all active members of the department have completed an entry-level fire-training program, which is 166 hours long. They also have completed a hazardous materials awareness course, had first-responder training in CPR and first aid, and completed at least a 16-hour structural barn session. They then passed written exams and were evaluated at skill stations. ''This was no easy task,'' Nosal said. ''It required each member to devote extra time and effort in addition to our daily volunteer duties. We sacrificed time, which would normally be spent with our families, and quite often it included weekends.'' In addition to 26 active members, the department has four probationary members and nine fire police, Nosal said. Mann said some of the 26 have received additional training.  "The Morning Call., Copyright 03/23/07" Photo by Tim Singles

* The purpose of the Professional Certification Program is to identify and recognize emergency service personnel whose accomplishments in training and education meets or exceeds nationally recognized standards.  A person certified to one of the Fire Service Professional levels will have demonstrated competency in the knowledge and skills required to perform at a particular level.  The service that can be offered to the citizens and communities of the Commonwealth will be enhanced by the professional competency attained through this certification process.  For a department to receive recognition, the minimum number of certified personnel must be equal to or greater than ten percent (10%) of the number of active members.  A bronze, silver and gold border will be placed on the standard certificate and decal to respectively denote 50%, 75%, 100% participation. Source: Office of the State Fire Commissioner   See the Lower Macungie Fire Department Training Roster

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