Township Honors Firefighters for Lifesaving Efforts
Warminster board of supervisors presented commendations to three firefighters who evacuated four people from an apartment fire at Bucks Landing.
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The Warminster board of supervisors began its meeting Thursday night with a presentation of commendations to three firefighters who helped four people escape an apartment fire at Bucks Landing on May 19.
Battalion Chief Pete Croak and firefighter Tim Lambert of the Warminster Fire Department and firefighter Joe Velten of the Hartsville Fire Company accepted the certificates to a standing ovation from a room packed with relatives and fellow firefighters.
The trio was then surprised by an announcement from Joe Cowhey, owner of the Cowhey Family ShopRite in Warminster. He thanked the firefighters for their service and invited them to another presentation Sunday morning at 10 a.m. at the store, where they will receive a free month of groceries, up to $500 each.
"We like to give back to our community as much as possible," said Cowhey. "These guys are real heroes, and we appreciate what they do."
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Warminster Fire Department Station 92
350 Norristown Rd, Warminster, PA -
Shop Rite
942 W Street Rd, Warminster, PA
Tom Sofield
9:50 am on Friday, August 12, 2011
Good work guys!
Tired of Hypocrisy
3:07 am on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Congratulations to all and a heartfelt thank you for protecting the residents of our Township!
Kermitta C Wiedemann
8:40 am on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Congrats to you all! Good job!
MJG
6:17 pm on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Nice job indeed! It would be even better if these heroes continue “giving back to their community” and donate the $500 in groceries to a worthy cause.
Jack Ellis
12:56 am on Sunday, August 14, 2011
I disagree, MJG. These firefighters ARE "worthy causes" themselves. They VOLUNTEER their time and lives to take their chances while saving lives. A month's worth of free groceries (a very nice gesture by Cowhey ShopRite, incidentally -- all their idea, too!) rewards their families for the time they are often without their fathers and husbands, while these guys are out fighting fires. BRAVO to these firefighters. Nice that the community ShopRite is paying it forward to these guys.
MJG
9:09 am on Sunday, August 14, 2011
Jack, you have the right to disagree. You also have the right to be wrong. I did not say these gentlemen were not worthy. They are worthy of being recognized for their actions, like the board of supervisors did. They are worthy of getting their name in the paper, which they did. They are even worthy of getting a banquet to honor their service to the community which most fire departments have. However you used the word VOLUNTEER (see I even used cap. letters like you). So I looked up the word:
"A person who performs a service willingly and without pay or compensation." It is not right to muddle the meaning of volunteerism.
Gail Parket
1:55 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
The meaning is to perform duty willingly and without pay ..... which was done(the word compensation does not appear anywhere in the description). The rewards were given without solictation and in appreciation that these guys put their lives on the line for you, me and all in the community everyday without asking for anything in return.
MJG
3:29 pm on Sunday, August 14, 2011
You’re obviously confused, Gail. And your confusion is the very reason such displays of gratuity are problematic. The department I run with and several others in the area have strict by-laws and rules about this. While we encourage businesses and the general public to show appreciation to our members we choose to recognize the entire department. Yes these 3 men did a great job. But I’m sure they were not the only firefighters that contributed in this rescue, right? The very reason these guys were able to pull this off is because they are part of a team effort….so recognize the team. Instead of the possibility of hurting the feelings of other firefighters involved, maybe a donation to the company banquet would have been more appropriate? Don’t make this something it’s not Gail.
Mary Alice Brancato
7:21 am on Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thank you to these firefighters for doing a wonderful job and saving lives! I applaud ShopRite and the Cowhey family for honoring these firefighters and showing their support for our community. Volunteering is a very kind thing to do and I believe it's done out of the goodness of one's heart but it's also nice that ShopRite has shown their appreciation for these brave men. If more people showed acts of kindness imagine what a nice world this would be to live in:) Have a nice day!