Woman Injured by Airbags in Collision

A two-car accident closes Lincoln Ave at Cedar Crest Blvd. Friday night. One driver had minor injuries.

Firefighters and EMS crews from Western Salisbury Fire Department, along with an EMS crew from Cetronia Ambulance responded to a two vehicle accident at the intersection of Cedar Crest Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue, Friday evening around 6.   The accident slowed traffic on Cedar Crest and closed traffic heading west through the intersection on Lincoln.  Radio reports from Lehigh county 911 reported on female occupant was injured when her air bag deployed during the accident. Both vehicles sustained heavy front end damage and were towed from the scene. Photographer and Patcher Reader Tim Singles sent in the information after he spotted the accident. To contribute information from your neighborhood, send us an email at salisbury@patch.com.

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Community Heroes

Meet Joshua Wells, New Chief of Western Salisbury Fire Department.

Joshua Wells has been a Western Salisbury Fire Department volunteer firefighter for 15 years.

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 make a lot of friends. We’re a very close-knit organization and group. It’s very rewarding, and very stressful at times.” How do your loved ones feel …

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Mary Ellen Alu

10:12 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012

Kudos to Joshua Wells!   more ›

Salisbury Could See Small Fire Tax Increase

Eastern Salisbury Fire Co. chief asked commissioners for more money to help pay for fire equipment.

After a last minute appeal from Eastern Salisbury Fire Company for a larger allocation in the 2012 budget, the Salisbury Township board of commissioners voted unanimously to propose a .25-mill increase to the township’s fire apparatus tax. If approved, the increase will bring the fire tax to .55 mills, the equivalent of an additional $25 from each taxpayer, or an additional $125,000 to the fund used for fire equipment. For this year’s general operating fund, “we asked for $12,500 and only got $8,000,” said Eastern Salisbury Assistant Fire Chief and President Dave Tomcics. “This year we have foregone $6,000 in repairs because the money isn’t in the budget.” “We spend over 8,000 hours donating our time to help the residents,” said Tomcics. …

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Community Heroes

Meet Michael Savage, Western Salisbury Volunteer Firefighter

Michael Savage says firefighting is a very rewarding way to help people in his community.

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 …

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Western Salisbury Fire Chief Narrowly Escapes Falling Tree

Western Salisbury Fire Department Chief Steve Scheider and his wife Sheryl were shaken, but not injured when a tree fell on their pickup truck during Saturday's snowstorm.

Western Salisbury Fire Chief Steve Schneider and his wife Sheryl were headed home from the fire house in Green Acres around 10 p.m. Saturday during the height of snowstorm when he stopped his pickup truck on W. Rock Road to report a large tree limb was blocking the road. No sooner had he made the call to the guys back at the station then he stepped out of his Ford pickup truck to walk a bit farther up the road to see if there were other downed trees. He never got far. "I heard three little pops. I looked up and all I saw was snow," Schneider said Monday outside the fire station. A massive tree limb came crashing down on the truck amid what seemed like an avalanche of snow. It pushed him to the ground, but each time he tried to stand to …

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Viewfinder

Salisbury Community Day a Hit With Residents

Food, fun and fire trucks made for a great time at Western Salisbury Fire Department and Green Acres Park.

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Get Out

Five Things To Do This Weekend

Enjoy Community Day in Salisbury, take in some theater, celebrate Celtic heritage and go to a museum for free.

1. Celtic Classic Where/when: Downtown Bethlehem, between Hotel Bethlehem and Lehigh River; 4-11 p.m. Fri.; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat.; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun. Why go: All the Scots-Irish heritage you can shake a shillelagh at. Three days of non-stop music on four stages, food, strong refreshment, crafts. Highland games, Highland flings and a concert by Irish-American band Solas. How much: Free; tickets sold for food and drink. 610-868-9599; www.celticfest.org.   2. Museum Day Where/When: Area museums participating in Smithsonian magazine’s 4th Annual Museum Day are open to the public for free on Saturday, including America on Wheels and Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, Sigal Museum in Easton, and Historic Bethlehem sites. Why go: Free is good. How …

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Community Heroes

Meet Chad Ekdahl, Western Salisbury Volunteer Firefighter

Chad Ekdahl likes the excitement and the rewards of being a volunteer firefighter for Western Salisbury Fire Department.

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, and the number one priority is safety. Safety comes first. And we have state of the art equipment to help us. Tell us a story you'll never forget about…

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Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church Honors First Responders

Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church holds 10th anniversary memorial service for those who died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

As people entered Cedar Crest Bible Fellowship Church in Salisbury Township, past the mournful sound of bagpipes of the Liberty High School Grenadier Band playing outside, they spoke about where they were that day 10 years ago. In the back of the hall, a woman silently wept. A half-hour before the church's 10th anniversary memorial service of Sept. 11 was set to start, the cavernous church was almost filled to capacity. The service, called “Never Forget…Hope," began solemnly with presentation of the colors -- two flags inscribed with the names of victims and first responders who died. A prayer was offered and congregants joined in heartfelt renditions of “Amazing Grace,” “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America.” Then a video …

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Salisbury Commissioners Approve Key Lockbox System Requirement

Multi-family homes, commercial properties will be required to install key lockbox systems

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners unanimously voted July 28 to approve an amendment to the Uniform Construction Code (building code) ordinance that will require all multi-family homes with four or more units, commercial and industrial properties to install a key lockbox system. Properties, such as hospitals, that have 24-hour on-site security personnel will be exempt from the ordinance. Salisbury Township Manager Randy Soriano explained that the township’s fire companies and other emergency personnel have occasionally had difficulty gaining access to commercial and industrial buildings. Western Salisbury Fire Chief Steve Schneider spoke in support of the ordinance, telling the commissioners that it is very difficult when the …

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