Name: Joshua G. Wells Age: 30 Lives: Allentown Family: Married to Katie Wells; they have a 2-year-old son, Casey. Job: Owns Wells Lawn Service, Allentown, a landscape and snow removal company. “We concentrate on lawn maintenance,” says Wells. Fire company: Recently elected chief of Western Salisbury Fire Department. Training so far: State-certified Fire Officer II, associate degree in emergency service technology from Northampton Community College. In July he’ll be a firefighter for 15 years. What's it like being a firefighter? “It’s very enjoyable. You get to meet a lot of people and you …

Name: Michael Savage Age: 35 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: Married to Virginia for seven and one-half years; they have a foster son, 4. Job: Architect and estimator, working for Penn Contractors, Emmaus. Fire company: Western Salisbury Fire Department for 10 years, previously volunteered in White Haven. Training so far: State certifications in Firefighter 1, pumper and aerial driver/operator, hazardous materials and public safety educator. What's it like being a firefighter? It’s very rewarding and that’s the main reason I do it, to help people in the community. I think everyone needs to …

Name: Douglas Palenchar Age: 40 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: My parents are Rich and Bonnie Palenchar. My wife is Jessica Palenchar and my son is Tyler Palenchar (also a volunteer firefighter). I also have a dog named Molly. Job: I own my own business, National Automated Solutions, a security business which is actually located in the old Eastern Salisbury firehouse. Fire company: Eastern Salisbury Fire Co. Training so far: Before I came to Salisbury, I had nine years of experience as a firefighter. At Eastern Salisbury, I have had a lot of training and I have my firefighters' …

Name: Tyler Palenchar Age: 16 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: Doug and Jessica Palenchar School: Salisbury High School Job: Works at National Automated Solutions, Bethlehem Fire company: Eastern Salisbury Fire Department Training so far: CPR training What's it like being a firefighter? It's enjoyable because it is a place to get away from everything, even though it can be a lot of work sometimes. How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger? They support my deicison to become a volunteer firefighter. My father is a volunteer firefighter. Tell us a story you'll never …

Name: Dev Kannan Age: 31 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: Married to Cynthia Kannan, four children, ages 13 to 3. Job: Tractor-trailer driver. Fire company: Western Salisbury Fire Department. Kannan is deputy fire chief and chief engineer. Training so far: More than 40 classes, including certifications in Firefighter 1 & 2, Hazardous Materials Operations, Fire Officer 1, Fire Instructor 1, Fire Inspector and Fire Investigator, Driver-Operator Aerial and Pumper, and Fire and Life Safety Educator. What's it like being a firefighter? It’s enjoyable and very rewarding. You can help people out of…

Name: Andrew DeMasi Age:17 Lives: Eastern side of Salisbury Township Family: Parents Bonnie and Ron, older sister Amanda. Job: I have a side job building a house. Fire company: Eastern Salisbury Volunteer Fire Department Training so far: I am going for my EMT and have certification for Firefighter 1, HazMat, pump operation 1 and vehicle rescue. What's it like being a firefighter? There is something new everyday. No one call is the same. It is stressful, but rewarding because you know you are helping people. How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger? It doesn't bother …

Name: Jerry Royer Age: 67 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: Married with five children and stepchildren and a big extended family. Job: Retired from PPL’s computer services department. Fire company: Western Salisbury Fire Dept. Previously served with the Tri-Clover Fire Co. Training so far: After 33 years with the company, he’s taken basic training; he’s certified as an EMT, and takes Haz-Mat courses and CPR training on a regular basis. “We do a lot of basic training on our own to keep our skills up,” he says. Years ago he also served with the Cetronia Ambulance Corps. What's it like being a …

Name: Chad Ekdahl Age: 44 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: Chad and Michele Ekdahl have 8-year-old twins (a son and daughter). Job: Carpenter for R.J. Doerr historic restoration company, Easton. Fire company: Western Salisbury Fire Department Training so far: Firefighter 1 (nationally recognized level of training). What's it like being a firefighter? It’s exciting, and pretty rewarding. The bottom line is helping people and saving properties.  How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger? I guess they are comfortable with it because they know a lot of training goes on, …

Name: Lindsey Kaufman Age: 28 Lives: Salisbury Township Family: My fiance and his 2½-year-old son. Job: Social worker. Fire company: Eastern Salisbury Fire Co. Training so far: Firefighter 1 Class, the national certification class that qualifies you to become a firefighter, was twice a week for six months, 195 hours. You start out in the classroom, then you do some hands-on stuff: how to identify hazards, fire scenes, how to put out a fire, dealing with hazardous materials, CPR, structural burns, where you go in a controlled environment. I’ll be taking an EMS class September through January. …