Firefighter Wants You To Know 'Help is On the Way'

Jimmy Ellerman has been serving the community as a volunteer firefighter for eight years and much of his family is also involved in service.

Editor's Note: In our occasional feature, we profile one of Upper Macungie Township's volunteer firefighters. Name: James (Jimmy)  Ellermann Age: 31 Hometown: Upper Macungie Township College: Lehigh Carbon Community College, Bucks Fire Academy, Firefighter 1 certified and currently working on Emergency Medical Technician. Family: Mother Jackie is a member of Upper Macungie CERT and Ladies Auxiliary at Trexlertown Fire Company.  My father, John Sr., is a Upper Macungie Fire Police member. My brother, John Jr., is a firefighter and engine operator at Station 56. My half-brother Matthew is a firefighter in Polson, Mont. Fire Company: Upper Macungie Township Station 56 Years on the job / volunteering: Eight What really made you want to be a …

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Firefighter of the Month

Firefighter of the Month: Roger Conrad

Firefighter Roger Conrad volunteers for Station 25.

  Roger Conrad, 63, has been volunteering with the Trexlertown Fire Company for eight years. He is currently assistant fire chief. He is retired, after 37 years, from Air Products, where he worked in research labs and the safety department. He and his wife Kathy have two grown children, Jason Conrad and Jennifer Sinclair. Conrad has been volunteering in various capacities for most of his life -- as a CPR instructor, Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader, and for the National Safety Council. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Hazardous Materials Technicians, the Lehigh County HazMat Team, and he assists the Lehigh County Emergency Management Agency. In the 1990s, he was a band parent at Parkland High School.  What made you want to …

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Firefighter of the Month: Joshua Ashmar

Joshua Ashmar says helping the community is rewarding in many ways.

Name:  Joshua Ashmar Age:  17 Hometown:  Breinigsville, Pa. College:  College is in my future plans so I can obtain a degree for my impending career in law enforcement or nursing. Family: (spouse, kids, etc.):  I am an 11th-grade student in Parkland High School. My father Sam is an Upper Macungie Township Supervisor as well as the fire marshal for Upper Macungie Township Station 56. My mother Sharon is a Speech Language Pathologist at The Hillside School. My sister Makala is in her fourth year at Bloomsburg University. I have been dating Marissa Wagner for the past two years. I have three dogs, two cats and a rabbit. Fire Company: Upper Macungie Township Station 56 Years on the Job/ Volunteering: I joined in January 2010 at the age of 14 …

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Joe Corcoran

10:21 am on Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Congrats Josh, you do a great job at Station 56!   more ›

Firefighter of the Month

Firefighter of the Month: Michael Young

Meet Michael Young of Upper Macungie who volunteers for Station 56.

  Michael Young, 32, is a volunteer with Upper Macungie Township Station 56. Originally from Herndon, Virginia, he’s been with 56 for six months. That makes him the newbie, but he says he really wants to help those in need of care. Tell a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience: "For me, it was the first time I did CPR on my first patient. I will never forget it  …  it has changed my life.” What do you most want people in the community to know about the work? "Being a firefighter is much more than putting out fires. It is a brotherhood, and most importantly we are all family. These men and women put in many long hours of training and they take a lot of time away from their family’s putting their own lives on the line …

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Firefighter of the Month

Firefighter of the Month: Russell Adams

Meet Russell Adams of Breinigsville who is following in his grandfather's footsteps as a volunteer firefighter

Russell Adams, 24, has already been a volunteer firefighter for four years with the Trexlertown department. "It's all about being dedicated to the community in which we live," he said. " Volunteering is a wonderful, fulfilling job." In fact, Adams loves the department so much, he said one of the best experiences was seeing Trexlertown's new 2531 Quint aerial ladder truck, which it got last year. What really made you want to be a firefighter? "I wanted to follow in my grandfathers' footsteps. I enjoy helping out the community."

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Firefighter of the Month

Firefighter of the Month: Mike Fritzinger

Meet Mike Fritzinger, who helps keep our community safe by volunteering with the Fogelsville Fire Company.

Mike Fritzinger, 36, has been volunteering with the Fogelsville Fire Company for three years. But Mike has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a child. He lives in Fogelsville with his wife Susan and son Frank. What really made you want to be a firefighter? "I enjoy volunteering in my community and living out my childhood dream." Tell a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience: "After a ecent barn fire, the family came up to us to express their thankfulness that we were there. The family had lost a barn but were so happy that the other buildings were unharmed. That makes everything we do worthwhile." What do you most want people in the community to know about the work? "I want them to know how seriously we take the …

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