The West Reading Fire Company No. 1 has attained the enviable position of being recognized as one of the outstanding organizations in the Borough. The company was originally organized for the express purpose of protecting the lives and property in and around West Reading. Nevertheless, its members have been and still are periodically called upon and requested to do many other useful tasks besides fighting fires. Through the years, the company has grown and developed into one of the leading volunteer fire organizations. The company's achievements have been accomplished by the tireless efforts of its hard-working volunteer members.
The fire company, in a manner similar to many others of its kind and size, developed from real teamwork of citizens working together for a direct cause. Its success is attributed to those in the Borough of West Reading who have volunteered to help this esteemed organization through the years.
Many of the present members of the company can trace back over the years to numerous incidents that occurred in the lives and in the line of duty of their brother firefighters who have either retired from active duty or passed away, recalling many pleasant memories through association and service with the company.
Today's members acknowledge their sincere gratitude to these men and women, especially the first group of citizens who had the forethought to organize the fire company.

--Former Fire Chief Sheryl A. Fabriziani

The WRFD is an all-volunteer department which is mostly funded by the Borough of West Reading through a fire tax on properties owned in the Borough. Other funding comes through semi-annual chicken barbecues, annual black party carnival and voluntary donations.
We conduct monthly business meetings on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 PM. We train every Wednesday night at 6:30 PM and sometimes on weekends. Our volunteers also take classes on their own time through Reading Area Community College and other educational institutions.
Our volunteer firefighters and fire police are dispatched by Berks County Communications Center via radio pagers, and respond to emergency calls on their own free time at all hours of the day and night, in all kinds of weather. We are always accepting applications for new members. Volunteers come and go. West Reading is fortunate to have some new members, and some who have served from as far back as 1972 and are still active!

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West Reading Fire Department is the primary provider of fire protection in the borough of West Reading, a suburb of the city of Reading, located in Berks County in southeast PA about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Within our coverage area are the Reading Hospital (one of the largest hospitals on the east coast), the world-famous VF Outlet Complex, two nursing/rehabilitation centers, dozens of apartment buildings of varying capacity, several industrial buildings, a mile-long business district, a mile-long section of limited-access highway, and one square mile of high- and medium-density housing which serves a population of about 5,000. More information about the Borough can be found at the Borough's web site, www.westreadingborough.com.

Click here to see a map of our borough.

We are an all-volunteer department made up of about 40 active volunteer firefighters, junior firefighters and fire police, about 20 semi-active fund-raising volunteers, and about 100 additional inactive members. Our annual operating expenses are covered by a .03 mill fire tax, our own fund-raising events and voluntary donations from the residents and businesses of West Reading Borough. Our apparatus and firefighting equipment are owned and maintained by the borough.

We respond to emergency incidents of many types, including but not limited to structure fires, automatic fire alarms, smoke detector activations, carbon monoxide alarms, vehicle fires, vehicle accidents with entrapment or with fluids down, hazardous materials incidents, assists to EMS when requested, and other types of public service calls. We are supported by mutual aid from our neighboring communities including Wyomissing, Kenhorst, Township of Spring VFD, Greenfields (Bern Township), and others as necessary. We are also dispatched to assist Exeter Township (Reiffton Fire Co.), occasionally Muhlenberg Township (Goodwill Fire Co.) and the City of Reading and other local communities where our assistance is requested. We run an average of between 200-300 calls a year.

In addition to responding to emergency incidents, we stage several open houses and fire safety related programs throughout the year and we sell and install (for our Borough residents) smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. We also have a Knox-Box program for Borough business owners. To purchase and request installation of a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector, email Lieutenant David Miliauskas for more information, or call 610-372-9621.

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West Reading and the other 13 companies in West-Central Berks County Zone 4 are dispatched by Berks County Communications Center at a frequency of 154.310 MHz. West Reading is Company 64. The other companies in Zone 4 include:

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The purpose of this web site is to provide information about our fire company and fire safety in general. If you have any questions, either about the company or about fire safety, please don't hesitate to email them to us! Click here to send us an email. You never know, 100 other people might have the same question on their minds!

Little-known facts about West Reading Fire Department and volunteer firefighting in general:

Volunteer firefighters in the state of Pennsylvania save taxpayers over 11 billion dollars each year, against the cost of paying for salaries and benefits.

Volunteer fire companies protect over 75% of the area of the United States.

The idea of volunteer firefighting was born in Pennsylvania, which is one of the reasons why Pennsylvania has over 10% of the nation's volunteer fire departments but only 5% of the nation's population!

Q: I want to help the fire department. I want to do more than just send a donation each year, but I don't want to fight fires. What else can I do?

A: LOTS! There are so many, MANY tasks that need to be performed in a volunteer fire department that we can't even list them all here! But just to give you an idea, first of all, the fire department is a business. Even though it's non-profit, we still need a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Business Manager, Trustees, etc. to perform the day-to-day and monthly operational functions which keep our Company running! On emergency scenes, we do need people to fight fires, but those people who fight the fire need support on the outside too! We can always use and greatly appreciate people who stay on the outside and help our firefighters change empty air cylinders, people who get them water and bring them cool wet towels to cool off, and of course people to help with personal issues such as calling a firefighter's workplace if he/she will be late for work because of a fire...simple little jobs which someone has to do, but the firefighters are usually to busy to do themselves. And of course, as a volunteer department, we need to do fund-raising as well, and we always need people to help us run our chicken barbecues and block party! So you see, even people who don't ever want to fight fires are very valuable to a volunteer fire department!

We have several members who do not participate in firefighting activities. Some of them are called "Semi-Active" members and they mainly help us with our fund-raising events. Since it gets to be quite demanding on the time and energy of our active members to respond to emergencies and train as well as help raise money, the help we get from our semi-active members is greatly appreciated! Others are called "Inactive" members and are card-carrying members of the fire company, but do not participate in either firefighting-related activities or fund raising, they simply pay the annual dues to belong to the fire company. We only have a total of about 160 members, of which only about 30 are active and another 20 are semi-active. The rest are all inactive, and we only charge $5.00 for annual dues, but every penny helps! Also, remember that when you show up at our fund raising events, like our annual Block Party, or Chicken Barbecues, you're helping to keep the fire company financially afloat! Remember, we volunteers are charged with the protection of lives and property in West Reading and surrounding areas, and we need all the help we can get, whether it's through recruiting new volunteers or financial support, we could always use both! (See our Membership Page and our Current Events Page for more information.)

Q: Does anyone in West Reading Fire Department get paid?

A: No. All of our members, whether active, semi-active or inactive (See our "Members" page for descriptions) are volunteers. That means that our active firefighters are sacrificing their free time, often risking their lives, to perform the duties of the fire department, which include not only fighting fires, performing rescues, and training, but also the fund-raising activities we need to keep our station going, without ever receiving one cent for it!

Q: What are the benefits of being a member?

A: If the satisfaction of knowing that you are performing an indispensible service to your community is not enough of a benefit, there are other considerations. All of our active members are covered by Workers' Comp and health insurance for any accidents that may occur while on an emergency scene or during training. Also, active firefighters are covered by a life insurance plan in the event of a line-of-duty death. Active members who maintain a proper percentage level of attendance at emergencies, training and fund raising events are eligible to attend events like our company banquet, company Christmas party and company picnic at no charge. Active, semi-active and even inactive members are eligible to attend events like our group outings to places like the Atlantic City casinos, Reading and Philadelphia Phillies games, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens games, and so on, at group rates. Also, the fire company sells items like fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and fire department apparel to the general public, but members (of any status) get discounted rates.

Q: How can I join the West Reading Fire Company?

A: If you have a printer, you can print a membership application right off our web site from our Members page. Or you can email us and we will be happy to send you an application in the mail. The best way, however, would be for you to stop by our station, located at 430 Franklin Street, West Reading, on any Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm, when some of our officers and members are sure to be there to show you around and answer any questions you may have!

Here's are some excellent questions we received via email! Do you have any questions? Write to us!

Q: If I'm on the second floor and the first floor is on fire, and I can escape onto the roof, am I safer waiting for the fire department, or will I be okay if I jump?

A: You're much safer waiting. A jump from any height could cause serious injury or possibly even death. It will take longer for the fire to reach you than it will take for the fire department to arrive and raise a ladder to you, so you'd be much better off waiting on the roof.

Q: Can I join the West Reading Fire Department if I belong to another fire company?

A: Yes! We welcome almost all applicants to volunteer, regardless of race, gender, religion, or even whether you belong to another fire company or EMS service. Several of our members belong to other companies and EMS services, yet they are also valued members of our company. If you have the free time and would like to help out as an active or semi-active member, we welcome your support! You can also always apply for inactive membership regardless of whether you are a member of any other companies. Feel free to check out our Members page for more information and an application.

Remember, if you have any questions at all, regarding West Reading Fire Department, firefighting in general or fire safety in general, please don't hesitate to email them to us and we'll be happy to respond with an answer, or post the question and its answer on this page, or both!

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