As female firefighters in a male-dominated field, Antoinette Dowds and Joelle Lesniak believe anyone can be a firefighter. Lesniak, one of the three full-time career firefighters at Centre Square Fire Company, was the first female volunteer firefighter at Oreland Fire Company at age 16. “I broke the system,” said Lesniak. “A lot of fire companies used to have bylaws that …
Inspired by his family and friends who were volunteer firefighters, Fred Saylor joined Centre Square Fire Company 35 years ago. In that time, he has served in a variety of roles including firefighter, fire police Sergeant and trustee. “Joining is the best thing I have ever done,” he said. “I enjoy helping people, learning new things and making new friends.” …
After decades of giving back to the community in the volunteer fire service, Jerry Wagner has had a lot of memorable fire calls. A more recent call that sticks out to him though was a house fire in 2020, where he had to prevent the homeowner from reentering the home. “I stayed with him to support him until his family …
Ronnie Weldon Jr joined Centre Square Fire Company in June of 2022 after his uncle encouraged him to join. “I love to be active in my community and enjoy giving back to others,” said Ronnie. “My uncle asked me to come out to training and I loved it.” Ronnie is currently a junior firefighter and can perform exterior ground work …
Gail Wellington is no stranger to the volunteer fire service. She started volunteering at 16 years old, but stopped after life got too busy. Gail missed being a firefighter though and getting to interact with the community. She works right behind Centre Square’s station and would watch them train on Monday nights. “I wanted to do what I saw them …
Noah Johnson is a newer addition to Centre Square Fire Company’s team and is in the junior firefighting program for teens ages 16 and 17. He joined over the summer because he always thought volunteering would be cool and was looking for a way to give back to the community. “I think volunteering is a great opportunity for high school …
At 16 years old, Matt Kozeniewski joined Centre Square Fire Company in 2014, a few years after his older brother started. “One thing I’ve always been taught in life is to give back to those in most need,” said Matt. His brother also told him how family-oriented Centre Square was, which Matt says still rings true today. “You’ll build friendships …
Volunteers at Centre Square Fire Company are trained and ready to respond to home fires as fast as they can. But when a home fire breaks out, residents may only have a few minutes to get out safely once the smoke alarm sounds — and it’s crucial for everyone inside to know what to do and where to go. That …
Centre Square Fire Company consists of a great social network of men and women in Whitpain Township who, although busy with their careers, volunteer and provide 24/7 emergency service. Keeping up with CSFC’s reputation of excellence requires a constant search for highly valued volunteers. Therefore, Centre Square Fire Company has launched a four-year recruitment campaign to grow the volunteer base. …
