Enabling safety for Pennsylvania’s firefighters

In his over 50 years of service with the Shermans Dale Fire Department, fire chief Mike Minich has answered just about every rescue call you can get.

“When I first started at the hall as a junior member, the 10 to 15 calls we received per year were considered high,” said Minich while adding, “Now, we get anywhere between 350 and 400 in a given year.”

Minich was promoted to fire chief in 1975. Shermans Dale FD's approximately 55 currently active volunteer firefighters cover an area of approximately 225 square miles across four different Pennsylvania municipalities, responding to emergency calls for fire and auto accidents and educating the community on fire preparedness and safety.

With nearly one call a day, these firefighters must be able to see clearly as they suit up and ship out for rescue. A recent lighting project replaced all of the lights throughout the station, providing adequate lighting for fundraising events held at the hall.

“The light replacement project obviously increases safety for our firefighters when the emergency calls come through, but it also enhances our guests’ experience when we host events and fundraisers throughout the year,” said Minich.

Enbridge recently donated $16,500 to the Shermans Dale Fire Department as part of our Safe Community First Responder Program. The grant paid for the replacement of all LED lights throughout the fire station, which was completed last year over the course of a weekend by Shermans Dale firefighters and two Enbridge employees.

Since Shermans Dale FD's inception in 1952, what was once a small village in a farming community has rapidly grown to a high-traffic waypoint, explaining the exponential rise in emergency calls over the years.

Minich is one of only five fire chiefs in the hall's history, and during his tenure, he has seen tremendous growth in service and manpower. The latter is an ongoing challenge, but Minich hopes that by implementing the hall's recruitment efforts in nearby schools, enrolment and interest in volunteering will increase.

“We can usually put 30 people on the ground of a major fire incident on the weekends or evenings, but we definitely face a struggle during daytime calls,” said Minich. “We are sometimes responding with minimal manpower—even dispatching some calls—so we need to attract more volunteers to fill that gap.”

Fundraising is an important part of being a volunteer, and the fire hall appreciates any assistance it can get in maintaining equipment standards and performing upgrades as needed.

“The most rewarding part of the job for me is twofold: I get to see our company grow, and also work with partners like Enbridge who are willing to put a foot forward and help us progress.”