Peebles Volunteer Fire Company wins state award as top rescue service of the year

Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Station 188 Chief Matthew Williams invited his volunteer crew to the station on May 10 for what they thought was just a night to recognize their achievements.

What a surprise they got.

The crew learned that Peebles was named the 2023 Rescue Service of the Year by the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Service Council.

“The look on their faces said it all,” Williams said.

The award honors a rescue service for its contribution to the development and growth of providing quality rescue services to their community.

Council members presented the award in person, said Duane Spencer, Emergency Medical Services for Children program manager of the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council.

Williams said the honor was impressive because Peebles, an all-volunteer organization, competed against hundreds of other agencies in the state, even some with paid personnel.

“That’s a huge accomplishment,” Williams said.

Some criteria that helped Peebles win the award was that it promotes a culture focused on training, frequently hosts groups to the station where members discuss important fire safety and injury prevention topics and emphasizes the need for medically-directed rescue.

The fire company also recently moved up in its Department of Health licensure to the level of intermediate advanced life support provider and became recognized as a Master Level participant in the statewide Prepared for Pediatrics program, according to Spencer.

Total 2022 call volume for Peebles VFC was 1,332 incidents, and there are currently 55 active members on the roster, said Peebles Medical Officer Dr. Tyler McCardell.

McCardell said rescue “is all about patient care. Without a patient, there is no rescue. Our department does an exceptional job of integrating medical topics into our training and operations so that we can use both skill sets on scene simultaneously.

Williams added Peebles has been able to recruit higher-than-average numbers of new volunteers. It currently has 11 probationary volunteers. He said volunteer fire departments usually only have two or three at this time of year.

The new volunteers range from the age of 16 to the mid-20s, Williams said. He said many younger volunteers may be taking advantage of FireVEST scholarship offered from the Community College of Pennsylvania for those who agree to volunteer with a fire department.

Founded in 1944, Peebles primarily serves the Town of McCandless, but is available for mutual aid into surrounding municipalities.

Gear carried on Peebles’ rescue truck include two sets of hydraulic rescue tools for cutting or spreading apart wrecked vehicles, wooden cribbing to stabilize cars or large objects, hand tools for smaller incidents, hundreds of feet of rope and harnesses for technical rescue situations, and medical supplies to care for injured patients.

The selection of this year’s award recipients is a joint project of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of EMS and the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council.

Spencer said he and his colleagues go in-person to the various winners across the state to surprise the recipients. Usually the heads of the department are aware of the award and most tried to keep it a surprise, like at Peebles.

“For all of the efforts they have given to these specific awards, we feel it’s worth it,” Spencer said.