The Palmerton Borough Council members took time out of their last meeting of the year to recognize a community member who has spent his career making the borough safer.

Dennis Behler was appointed fire chief of the Palmerton Municipal Fire Company in January 2017. He retired early in 2018 and his son, Jason, who was the assistant fire chief at the time, took up the mantle.

Before his retirement, Behler served with both the West End Fire Company No. 2 and the Palmerton Municipal Fire Company. He served as the Palmerton borough fire chief twice, once while he was a member of the West End, and again while at Palmerton Municipal Fire Company.

“Mr. Behler is recognized by the Palmerton Borough Council for his effort to make Palmerton a nice place to live,” Councilman Kris Hoffner said.

Behler didn’t show up to the meeting alone; he was accompanied by a group of volunteer firefighters who donned their Navy uniforms and gave an emphatic round of applause when Behler went up to receive his certificate and a bronze helmet award.

“It’s a testament to (Dennis), the number of his men that have shown up tonight in uniform,” Hoffner said.

“Denny, I can’t say enough great things about you. You’ve taken us into the future, and of course your son, Jason, has taken over for you, and I think our fire department is in great hands as a result of your efforts,” he added.

After accepting his accolades, Behler thanked the council for giving him the opportunity to make a career out of serving his community.

“I’d just like to thank council for this gift, and not only for the gift, but for the years that you appointed me assistant chief, and fire chief,” Behler said. “All I can say is it was very satisfying, very eventful, and it was just my way of giving something back to the community that I’ve lived in all my life.”