Plymouth Township—Members of the Harmonville Fire Company are excited to announce the kickoff of their campaign to recruit volunteers featuring a new website JoinHarmonvilleFire.org that highlights the company’s strengths and vision and will receive queries from potential volunteers.
With the key values of honor, family and community, Harmonville Fire Company hopes to find likeminded people to volunteer in various roles at the historic company, which began in 1924. The busy fire company offers opportunities to fight fires in a variety of structures from homes to businesses to the Plymouth Meeting Mall. With its proximity to I-476 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Harmonville first responders are also called to save lives along the highways.
The ideas for the new campaign, including the slogan “Honor. Family. Community,” were developed through a visioning session with members of the Harmonville Fire Company. All felt strongly that these principles distinguished the volunteer experience with their station.
“Harmonville has given me memories and experiences that will last a lifetime and forged friendships with many individuals,” said Lieutenant Justin Coogan.
“Originally, I started volunteering because of my son who is a junior firefighter,” said Julie Plotkin. “However, I am choosing to continue because I want to help people, save people, and be a part of an organization.”
In addition to the recruitment website, the fire company’s new campaign will include social media, video, targeted mailings, and creative community engagement plans.
Harmonville Fire Company offers options for volunteers with all sorts of interests and talents, as described below:
- Firefighter—Fight fires and respond to other emergencies. All training and gear are provided at no cost.
- Vehicle Rescue—Rescue people trapped in their vehicles during highway accidents. Training and equipment are provided. Do what it takes to save lives.
- Fire Police–Secure the safety of the public and of firefighters in an emergency situation. Fire police are responsible for directing the flow of traffic and crowds. Bringing calm to a hectic situation as a fire police member is the perfect way to assist “on the scene” without having to be part of the rescue or firefighting effort.
- Junior Firefighter–We offer a junior program starting at 14 years old. Junior Firefighters provide important assistance on fire calls or at the fire company, handling gear, apparatus and the hose.
- Administrative Volunteer–We need dedicated community members to bring their administrative skills to assist us with fundraising, acquiring grants, strategic planning, organizing community events, and paperwork.
In recent years, the number of volunteer firefighters has dwindled for a variety of reasons, including changes in lifestyle. Also, many people assume that firefighting is a paid occupation. In most Pennsylvania towns, that is not the case. Instead communities rely on those who are willing to step up and volunteer their time to protect people and property.
To abet its efforts to attract more volunteer, Harmonville Fire Company received a Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover the entire cost of the four-year campaign.
To help realize its goals, Harmonville hired The Communication Solutions Group Inc., a full-service marketing and public relations firm based in Jenkintown. That company has successfully managed mutiple recruitment and retention drives for fire and rescue organizations in Pennsylvania and other East Coast states.
For more information go to: www.JoinHarmonvilleFire.org
Editor’s note: To arrange an interview with a volunteer please contact Communication Solutions Group: (215) 884-6499.
Contact Leza Raffel at Leza@comsolutionsgroup.com or (215) 884-6499