Wexford VFC Recap January 2021

Incidents

Firefighters work to extinguish a chimney fire

We finished January with 24 calls. Most incidents were minor in nature. There was one chimney fire incident in Pine. The fire was contained to the chimney flue. Here is a breakdown of incident totals by major incident type category:

False Alarm & False Call- 3
Fire- 3
Good Intent Call- 10
Hazardous Condition (No Fire)- 1
Rescue- 3
Service Call- 4
Total-24

1ooth Anniversary

1922 Ford Model T Fire Truck Pictured L-R Edward H. Cole, Joseph Brooker, Frank Laklia

The Wexford Volunteer Fire Company began as an idea for better fire protection for the farming community of Wexford in 1921. Members of the community gathered and decided to organize a fire company. By 1922, the Wexford Volunteer Fire Company had taken delivery of their first motorized apparatus, a 1922 Ford Model T fire truck. From those humble beginnings, we have grown into a fire protection service of over 50 members, operating 10 vehicles out of three locations. Learn more about our history by clicking here.

We are proud to celebrate our 100th year of service to the community. With the uncertainty of COVID, we’re unsure if we’ll be able to celebrate this anniversary in person with the public. If things improve, we certainly hope to hold some type of public event to commemorate this milestone.

Member Recognition

Lifesaving Valor Awards for firefighters Eichenlaub and Kim

We held a small member appreciation banquet on January 11. The event was postponed from the fall of 2020 due to increasing COVID cases at that time. Members were able to enjoy a dinner and awards presentation for member accomplishments. Chief Ausefski presented a special award to members David Eichenlaub and Jonathan Kim for their work as the first arriving engine at a house fire with entrapment in Franklin Park Borough in late December. David was the riding officer on the engine, and made entry to pull the homeowner from the house within 46 seconds of arrival, while Jonathan set up the pump and stretched a hose line to the front of the house. The fire was knocked down in just over 2 minutes after their arrival. Chief Ausefski and the membership are extremely proud of these young men. Here are the additional member achievements that were recognized at the banquet:

5 Years Service- Bill Glikes, Doug Krahnke, Joe Kunz, Brittany Sweeney.

10 Years Service-Chris Ausefski, Chris Lau

30 Years Service- Tim Flaherty, J.C Cerny

Life Membership- Ed Ley, Robert Hetzel

Junior of the Year- Erica Weinberg

Rookie of the Year- Thomas Hudak

Chief’s Award- Jan Kowalski

Kenneth M. Young Company Dedication Award- Melissa Sweeney

Chief Chris Ausefski was also recognized for his hard work and dedication to this company during this past year with the pandemic. During this past year, he was a couple of calls short of responding to 300 calls.

In addition to those awards, members were recognized for training and call attendance. Each member was presented with a personalized job shirt:

Jonathan Kim, Brett Harsh, Joe Kunz, Ed Ley, Jake Ballard, Chris Ausefski, JC Cerny, Rick Wittmer, Josh Laine, Nathan Nicklas, Thomas Hudak, Craig Barton, David Eichenlaub, and Henry Gaffey.

Public Relations

Representatives of Goldfish Swim School present donation

We responded to the Goldfish Swim School in Pine for a fire alarm activation that turned out to be a broken fire sprinkler pipe. Crews worked to stop the leak and provide damage control. It was a routine call for us. However, the owner and staff of Goldfish were very appreciative of our efforts. They presented our organization with a generous donation as well as dinner for our members to enjoy during our January business meeting. Our members take great pleasure in serving the community and don’t expect anything in return however, gestures like this mean very much to them to know their efforts are appreciated.