WESC Volunteer Appreciation Banquet held on May 4, 2015 at Brick Gables
Individuals gathered for the banquet.
Individuals gathered for the banquet.
Supervisor Jeff Burkholder addresses the audience and gives thanks to the volunteers on behalf of Elizabeth Township.
Mayor Tim Snyder speaks of his appreciation to the volunteers on behalf of Lititz Borough.
Supervisor Logan Myers thanks the volunteers for their efforts on behalf of Warwick Township.
State Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay speaks to the audience of the value of volunteer firefighters and the importance to keep the trained members as long as possible.
Photo of Roman Musser, Lynn Mearig, Ken Kline, Cliff Keith and Beth Runk being recognized for over 40 years of volunteer service.
Photo of Rodney May, Nevin May, Sam Young, Bob Shreiner and John Young being recognized for over 40 years of volunteer service.
Members with over ten years of service being recognized for their commitment.
Senator Ryan Aument speaking to the audience and thanking the volunteers for their service.
Group photo of volunteers present who have over 40 years of service. (L-R) – Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay, Cliff Keith (Brunnerville), Nevin May (Brickerville), Rodney May (Brickerville), Larry Eckert (Brickerville), Ken Kline (Brunnerville), Lynn Mearig (Brunnerville), Bob Shreiner (Rothsville), John Young (Rothsville), Craig Young (Rothsville), Sam Young (Rothsville), Roman Musser (Rothsville), Beth Runk (Rothsville) and Senator Ryan Aument.
Firefighters from Rothsville Volunteer Fire Company with over 40 years of service – (L-R) – Sam Young, Bob Shreiner, Roman Musser, Craig Young and John Young.
The Warwick Emergency Services Commission (WESC) hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Banquet on Monday, May 4th at the new Brick Gables.
Two of the biggest issues facing the volunteer fire service nationwide, as well as locally, are staffing and funding. In order to tackle the issue of staffing, fire companies are tasked with approaching it from two directions: Recruitment and Retention. Recruitment is an on-going need of all fire companies, including advertising for new members through flyers, community ads, newspaper ads, social media postings, and face-to-face conversations. The most successful form of recruitment is encouraging friends and family to be a part of the emergency services. This is very evident in the local emergency services in which multiple generations of families have served their communities faithfully for years.
In order to retain these faithful members, it is vital to show thanks and appreciation to those who give so much of their free time to keeping their communities safe. 125 volunteers and their guests were present. New State Fire Commissioner Tim Solobay was the guest speaker, in which he addressed those present of the value of volunteering in the community, as well as the importance of supporting those who do.
Many local businesses, including stores, restaurants, banks, private services, and more graciously partnered with WESC to sponsor the banquet. Donations were used to cover the costs of the banquet and to provide products, services and more in a goodie bag that each volunteer received.
