Volunteer firefighting is a rewarding and valuable way to serve your community. To become a firefighter, it takes dedication and many hours of training. Just ask Palmerton’s Fire Chief and volunteer fireman Jason Behler and he will agree.

“I pretty much grew up in the fire department. My dad has pictures of when I was only two weeks old on a firetruck.” said Behler. “I couldn’t wait till I was 16 so I could get my gear, learn how to become a firefighter, ride in parades and do all the things firemen do. And 15 years later, he is still doing just that.

“Ironically, when I was a senior in high school we had a newspaper and in there it asked what you could see yourself doing in 20 years? I wrote that I saw myself designing fire apparatus for a leading manufacture and today I am actually working for one of the largest manufactures in the world. KME Fire Apparatus in Nesquehoning,” explained Behler. He still has the school newspaper to prove dreams do come true.

“I absolutely love this job, and you can’t even call it a job because I don’t get paid, but yes this is my dream job. We get into the fire truck, and the kids come to the corner and wave, people call you and not at a good time, because they may have just experienced a fire and they tell me how thankful they are for all we did. One of my favorite things is just going into the schools and doing fire prevention. Working with the kids, getting their interests and maybe spark a few to come on as a volunteer when they get older,” Behler said.

The Palmerton Fire Company has 24 volunteers all between the ages of 19-62. Behler feels fortunate to have that many volunteers. Generations in the past may have had as many as 50 volunteers. He feels very assured in the volunteers he has today. Most have been with the company a long time, so they have experience and know the area and are capable of doing the right thing and getting the job done.

“We have confidence knowing that if we don’t know something we have the recourse to figure it out whether it is here among the other volunteers or even going outside of our company,” he said.

“Households are busy today. Mothers and fathers are working so it is hard to be able to find the time to volunteer,” Behler added. “In future generations, we may get to the point where volunteering will end, and it will become a paid job, but I don’t think it will happen in my life time.”

The initial training required to become a volunteer is between 80 to 120 hours. The company practices each Monday evening and does maintenance on Saturday morning along with many specialty classes to keep current.

“Training is a necessity, because I want every one of the volunteers to go back home to their families in the end. It is an investment in themselves and their families to make sure they are going to be safe,” Behler explained.

The biggest most rewarding thing for Behler throughout his volunteering years has been the time spent with his father.

“Not everyone gets to spend so much time with their dad this way like I do. A lot of that time could never be replaced,” Behler added. “My dad has left an impression on me; you come here to the fire company and you make it better than when you got here. It is a goal for all of us to try and achieve.”

Behler has understood over the years that not everything in the company will go smoothly and there may have been some fleeting moments with the thought of giving up volunteering.

“I realized early on the Palmerton Fire Department doesn’t need me, it is that I need this fire company,” said Behler.

Behler’s dad, Dennis is an active Palmerton volunteer firefighter since 1970, holding down different positions throughout those years and even the title of fire chief for many years. “I am very proud of Jason. I am especially proud of the way he is helping our community. He was always interested in the fire company. He and his younger brother Kyle were always ready to help out at the firehouse with fundraisers and bingo nights. They both became volunteer firefighters when they got to that age,” the elder Behler said.

What does Behler do on his free time when he is not doing paper work, writing up grants, going to practices or going to actual fires?

His time is pretty much consumed with his 10-year-old son with soccer and baseball games. He also coaches his son’s teams. A favorite family outing is going to see an Iron Pigs baseball game. Is his son going to carry on the family volunteer firefighter tradition? “He is always interested in what I do and always wants to wear my firefighter helmet every chance he can. So, we will see,” he said.

Only time will tell if there is a third generation Behler volunteer firefighter waiting in the wings.