Fire Department Needs a Few Good Volunteers

"We always need volunteers for both firefighters and EMS (emergency medical services)," said Dave Johnson, deputy chief with the Pequea Valley Fire Department (PVFD).

To make it easier for area residents to become certified emergency medical technicians (EMTs), PVFD is working to become accredited to hold training at the station, 3204 Vigilant St., Gordonville. Johnson explained that PVFD will be accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Emergency Health Services Federation. "We will be able to offer in-house training (run by our staff), and we expect to have that finalized by August," said Johnson.

PVFD firefighter training is done at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center. "That's roughly 130 hours for fire essentials," said Johnson, who added that internal training is held monthly at PVFD.

According to Johnson, training sessions for EMTs will begin in September or October and run for five months with classes meeting two nights a week. "Basic training for an EMT is about 175 hours for Pennsylvania state certification," explained Johnson. At the end of the class, students who pass a test will become state-certified EMTs. Some go on to become career EMTs. Johnson noted that while there is a charge for the class, students who go on to make a commitment to run with PVFD and complete the orientation process will be reimbursed. "Most (EMTs) trained in the in-house program are from the area, and most stay (to volunteer)," noted Johnson, who explained that PVFD previously ran a training program in partnership with another agency.

PVFD was created on Sept. 11, 2023, by the merger of Kinzer Fire Company, 3521 Lincoln Highway East, Kinzers, and Gordonville Fire and EMS Company. "We cover southwest Leacock Township, eastern Paradise Township, and a sliver of Salisbury Township," stated Johnson. Mondays through Fridays during the day, PVFD staffs two ambulances with four personnel - two career EMTs and two volunteers. Johnson and the administrative assistant are at the station then as well. On nights and weekends, volunteers staff the ambulances. "We do weekly staffing rotation," explained Johnson, who added that a volunteer may choose to run the same day each week. "We encourage but do not require that," he said. Weekends, which run from 6 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday, are staffed by crews that work on a six-week rotation. "The crew is responsible to fill that 36-hour block," explained Johnson, who noted that crew members may each put in 12 hours.

The PVFD EMS squad is busy. Located close to Route 30 and not far from Route 340, it would be expected that the majority of calls might be vehicle accidents, but Johnson said that is not the case. Retrieving the 2024 incident report, he notes that of nearly 1,800 calls, more than 300 were for illness, followed by a number of falls and finally traffic accidents. "That's a very high call volume for this area," stated Johnson. He added that 2024 was PVFD's busiest year - Gordonville existed for more than 100 years prior to the merger. "Over the last eight years, (during) seven of them (call volume) was consistently rising," he reported.

Currently, PVFD is looking forward to employing a new ambulance in 2026. Johnson explained that the vehicle will cost just under $400,000. "We are raising money for that," said Johnson, who stated that breakfast buffet fundraisers at the Kinzer station will be held on Saturdays, Sept. 6, and Nov. 1, from 6 to 10 a.m. The fall mud sale will be held at the Gordonville station on Saturday, Sept. 20, beginning at 8 a.m.

Johnson began volunteering with White Horse Fire Company when he was 17. He noted that both his father and uncle had been volunteers in the Horsham area. "Most people join here at (age) 14," he said. "I was a little late." Johnson completed his EMT training with Gordonville and then lived at the Manheim Township Ambulance Association location, where he served for seven years while working for the Harrisburg International Airport Fire Department. In 2018, Johnson returned to the PV area and began volunteering with Gordonville again. By 2019, he was working there part time, and in 2021, he became full time with the department.

Readers who would like to know more about PVFD may visit http://www.pvfd40.com. Individuals who are interested in learning more about firefighting or becoming an EMT may call 717-768-3869 or email admin@pvfd40.com.