When fire strikes, towns and communities alike rely on volunteer fire departments to put out the blaze.

But becoming a volunteer firefighter requires extensive training, which means precious time spent away from family.

While the number of younger firefighters joining the ranks has been on a sharp decline, several local fire departments aren’t totally barren of youth.

Aquashicola Fire Department

For Brandon Gehringer, firefighting has been a staple in his family for as long as he can remember.

His father, Tom Gehringer, has been affiliated with the Northampton Borough Fire Company for as long as he can remember.

Brandon, 22, joined the Aquashicola Fire Department last May after previously serving with Towamensing Township Fire Company.

“They have a very good reputation around the community,” Gehringer said. “Very professional the way they operate, and knowledgeable about the fire service.”

Brandon, who works with the Lower Towamensing Township road crew, said his job enables him to be closer to respond to day fire calls when most others can’t make it due to their work commitments.

“I just like being out there in the community,” he said. “I always had an interest in helping others.”

Along with the vast amount of training required, Brandon said one of the most challenging aspects of being a firefighter is knowing how to do everything.

“There’s a lot of training,” he said. “Classes to get certified, how to become a better firefighter in your community with your fire department.”

Becoming a firefighter is something Gehringer said he doesn’t regret.

“Firefighting is a good way to show your support to the community,” he said. “The bond you get when you’re in (a department) with good guys is an unbelievable bond.”

However, in this time of the coronavirus pandemic, Gehringer said it’s all about taking the proper safety precautions to ensure they can do their jobs safely.

“We take precautions to try to limit the amount of contact with each other,” he said. “If one of us gets sick, then there’s no one there to (help those in need).”

Franklin Township Fire Department

Juan Carlos Fuentes has been a member of the Franklin Township Fire Department for the past three years.

“It’s a great company,” Fuentes said. “I’m happy to help everyone.”

Originally from Chile, South America, Fuentes said his grandfather was a firefighter in Chile.

“I decided to help my community,” Fuentes said. “I like to be passionate about stuff that I do.”

Like everything else that is successful, Fuentes stressed the need to do things right the first time.

“You need to do the proper training,” he said. “I learned a lot, and it’s really good to do public training.”

However, Fuentes explained the difficulties fire departments face in having enough manpower to fight fires at all times.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get people during the daytime because everybody works,” he said. “It’s been a good experience, everybody’s like family.”

Fuentes said being a firefighter helps one rely on experience.

“Every day you learn something new; it’s something I guess everyone should learn,” he said. “You feel that you’re helping someone, and when they thank you, that’s amazing.”

Fuentes said the lessons learned as a firefighter can go a long way in life.

“Everything that you learn will help you in your life,” he said. “I don’t regret any day.”

Fuentes said he has a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old who have told him that they want to grow up to be firefighters.

“And they think I’m like a professional firefighter, and that you get money,” he said. “I have the support of my wife and my kids, because they know that I like it and it makes me happy.”

Fuentes said the fire department is still doing its job despite COVID-19.

“We’re still responding to calls and take some different precautions,” he said. “We just try to recommend people not to go crazy; we recommend stay home, postponing social activities.”

Fuentes urged youth to join their local fire companies.

“It’s a lot of sacrifice,” he said. “But the gratitude you get ...”

Diamond Fire Company

Gratitude is something Kyle Kromer has learned in his time as a volunteer with the Diamond Fire Company in Walnutport.

Kromer, who started out as a junior firefighter at the age of 14, has been a member with the department since 2012.

“It’s something I’ve always been around,” Kromer said. “It always piqued my interest.”

Kromer said it’s the aspect of doing a good deed that he derives pleasure from as a firefighter.

“A lot of people tend to run away from bad situations; we actually run toward it,” he said. “We’re all here to help and protect others who aren’t able to do it themselves.”

Kromer said that despite the pandemic, the protocol is pretty much the same: hands, gloves, face masks.

“I obtain as much information as I can before I can get to that scene,” he said. “The process will be a little longer now, name, address, symptoms relayed to us for our knowledge so we know what types of (situations) for when we get there.”

Fellow firefighter Aaron Stahlnecker joined Diamond Fire Company about eight months ago.

Stahlnecker, 25, said he’s been with other stations before, but has really enjoyed his time with his current fire company.

“I love it,” Stahlnecker said. “It’s a bunch of great guys.”

Stahlnecker explained the satisfaction he gets from being a firefighter.

“It’s the best job that you never get paid for, don’t do it for (pay),” he said. “It’s about helping somebody in a time of need; it’s better than any monetary item.”

Stahlnecker recommended that youth take the time to become involved with their local fire departments.

“My best advice is to listen to the guys who have been doing it for a long time,” he said. “Eventually you’re going to be that older guy teaching the younger generation.”

A member of Diamond Fire Company for nearly 20 years, William Verba knows a thing or two about imparting wisdom to the younger generation of firefighters.

“I wanted to help the people,” Verba said. “Everybody was doing Boy Scouts; I wanted to volunteer and had friends who were firefighters.”

Verba explained that being able to help people through the years has given him the most satisfaction being a firefighter.

“It gives you that feeling like ‘I’ve helped somebody,’?” he said. “It’s a brotherhood; we know our families, our kids, family-oriented, we all do things together.”

Darin Handwerk started out as a junior firefighter with neighboring Slatington Vigilant Fire Company.

Handwerk said he took a long time off from being a firefighter, but returned once his daughter was grown.

“I wanted to save lives and help the people,” Handwerk said. “I’m here to save properties, and lives.’

Handwerk had nothing but positive things to say about Diamond Fire Company.

“All the guys that I work with, they’re like family to me,” he said. “I love these guys here; we got young guys now, and I’m here to help them with what they need.”

With the current pandemic, Handwerk said volunteers are needed more now than ever.

“Even with the situation right now, volunteers, we need more,” he said. “All volunteer fire companies need volunteers.”

Volunteering is something veteran firefighter David Stankovic surely knows a thing or two about, having been a member of Diamond Fire Company for about 40 years.

A former assistant fire chief, Stankovic said he believes the department has a nice mix of older and younger firefighters.

“We have a bunch of good young guys serving our company,” Stankovic said. “(Fire Chief) Mike Wentz is (always) nonstop going.”

Stankovic said that while it’s been difficult to witness the many tragic fires he’s seen in his time, nothing can compare to the feeling a firefighter gets when they know they’ve helped a family in peril.

“Helping the community; somebody has to do it,” he said. “You feel like you accomplished (something) if you help one person.”