When he returned from the Air Force in the 1950s, George Krajnak knew he wanted to give back to his hometown of Lansford.

Thus began 50 years of service to the borough — as fire chief, police officer, councilman and, eventually, mayor.

Through his decades serving the borough, the 2017 Black Diamond Award winner relied on his family at home to provide him with the support he needed to help the rest of the town.

“Any time I decided to do anything, whether it was back when I joined the fire company way back when, or when I became mayor, I always had the backing of my wife and son, my daughter, and my sister-in-law,” Krajnak said.

On Friday, his family members — including his grandchildren — were alongside him once again as he accepted the Black Diamond Award from Lansford Alive.

Krajnak recalled the sacrifices his family had to make so he could serve, especially during his time as chief of American Fire Co. No. 1.

He and his wife, Hedy, had to balance work and the fire service with raising their own two children, George and Janel, as well as his wife’s half-sister Antoinette.

As a young firefighter in the days before they used pagers or cellphones, Krajnak was told by the then-chief to have a fire bell installed in his house. It would loudly chime long, complicated codes in the middle of the night, continuing long after Krajnak jumped in his truck and his family was trying to get back to sleep.

“It rang through this house where it would rock your brains,” he recalled. “In retrospect, we can snicker about it, but at that time, it wasn’t funny.”

The best part of the fire company, Krajnak recalled, was the camaraderie he felt with his fellow firefighters.

He gives all the credit to the firefighters who weren’t afraid to risk their lives going inside a burning building — like the Hotel Aquila on East Ridge Street, which tragically claimed three lives.

Death was the toughest part of the job, but also a big reason why Krajnak got involved with the fire service. He lost a military buddy who died in a fiery plane crash and vowed to do what he could to prevent unnecessary deaths.

As chief, he had to stand by as the men he was responsible for ran into the fire.

Krajnak recalled the awe he felt when one of his men would rush into a burning building with no regard for his own safety, in hopes of saving someone inside.

“It’s hard to believe how these volunteer firemen, the bravery they have, the guts they have. It’s really something else,” Krajnak said.

On the other hand, the wives of firefighters also make a large sacrifice.

Krajnak recalled the time commitment of being a firefighter, let alone the emotions that come with having a loved one go into burning buildings.

The families also put on a three-day block party that helped the fire company purchase supplies.

“My wife, and the wives and girlfriends of all the other firefighters joined in, and it was one hell of a fundraiser for the fire company,” he said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

When Krajnak retired from the fire company, he handed the reins to his son, George “Smokey” Krajnak, his dedicated assistant chief.

He’d find a new challenge as mayor. The police chief at the time was also a fire official, so they got along well.

“They protected this town — life, limb and property and everything else — for my eight years I was there,” he recalled.

On Friday, Krajnak got to share his accomplishments with his children, grandchildren and many friends.

In addition to the Black Diamond, he received honors from the county commissioners, state Rep. Doyle Heffley, Coaldale Fire Co., American Fire Co. No. 1 of Lansford and Lansford Historical Society.

“I appreciate it because the ones who are doing it are friends of mine. And when you get some kind of kudos like this from your friends, it means a hell of a lot,” he said.