Meet Michael Savage, Western Salisbury Volunteer Firefighter

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 give back to the community in some way, and this is a good way to do it. It is also difficult being a volunteer. There are a lot of hours of training required, and leaving your family during dinner or the middle of the night is always difficult.

How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger? My wife has always been very supportive of me being a volunteer, and knows it is important to me. The same with my parents and extended family. My great grandfather was a volunteer firefighter, so our family was always familiar with it.

Tell us a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience. My very first call with Western Salisbury was the evacuation of Cedarbrook Nursing Home after an electrical fire in the basement. We were moving hundreds of people out into the cold and putting them into buses and ambulances. It was quite a big operation with fire companies from all over. I had never been a part of anything like that.

What would you tell people interested in joining your fire company?: It’s a very rewarding experience. It’s great to be part of a team and share in the camaraderie with the group of individuals we have in our fire department.