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For a local fire company, serving the community is what its all about |
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To Chief Trevor Eckley, a firefighter with the Progress Fire Company 32 in Harrisburg, firefighting is more than a hobby. By CAROL COLLAZO Journalistic Writing Spring 2004 |
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HARRISBURG, Pa.,─ To Chief Trevor Eckley, a firefighter with the Progress Fire Company 32 in Harrisburg, firefighting is more than a hobby. As chief he is responsible for managing all aspects of the fire company. He holds a full time job but still averages more than 30 hours a week at the firehouse. At the age of 12, his father handed him an application to work as a firefighter and he has been doing it ever since. Chief Eckley has been a firefighter for 19 years. Thirteen of those years have been at the Progress 32 where he began as a live-in student. Live-in students stay at the firehouse while attending Harrisburg Area Community College. They receive free room and board and in return perform house chores around the firehouse and answer fire calls throughout the night. Last year, Progress 32 celebrated 75 years of service to the community. They are 100 percent volunteer company with 34 members; 25 of which are active. In 2003 the company answered 740 calls. “We are known for our truck company operation, how aggressive we are and how willing we are,” Chief Eckley said. “If the guys have to put their own lives on the line they’re going to do it.” The company works very closely with other safety agencies. They work with Rescue Fire Company 37 with who they do a lot of training with. The chief also said that the Susquehanna Police Department is always willing to assist them when a road needs to be closed and with controlling traffic. Progress 32 has always done a commendable job for the community. The station is equipped as a fallout shelter in case of any hazardous material disaster. In a case where the community needs to evacuate, the company goes out in their fire trucks to instruct residents to where they need to go. Chief Eckley explained that for every call that is answered a detailed fire report must be kept. The report includes information like incident number, nature of call, property information, identification of people involved and investigation findings. All data is entered into a computer database which at the end of the year is sent in the form of a report to the state fire commission. When out on a call, the chief appoints a public information officer to deal with the media. For a major fire the media is assigned a specific area where the PIO will go to update them every 15 to 20 minutes. During a less serious fire call the fire fighter in charge will answer questions for the media whenever the fire is under control. The media ask questions such as how the fire was caused and if anyone was hurt. Chief Eckley admits that after a bad day out on a fire call, he sometimes wonders why he is a firefighter. “It’s hard to leave for a call and have your kids tell you ‘daddy I love you, don’t go.’” However, he says that helping people is what keeps him coming back every day.
All stories in this magazine are the intellectual property of the individual authors.
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