Hempfield Fire Department is Lancaster County Fire Station 69. It was formed in 1998 with the consolidation of the Landisville Fire Company and Salunga Fire Company, both of which started in 1905.
Station 69’s first due response area includes portion of East Hempfield Township and West Hempfield Township including the historic villages of Landisville and Salunga. The term ‘first-due’ is a reference for the geographical service responsibility of the fire company. Each fire company has a first due in which they are charged with and responsible for emergency response protocols, policies and procedures. Station 69 protects a diverse area inclusive of densely poplulated residential areas, rural agricultural facilities, and light industry. In additon, it protects a section of Route 283 and unique faciliteis such as quarry operations, personal care and a soon-to-be constructed hospital. In 2019, Station 69 responded to 341 total calls for service including calls in the ‘first due’ and assistance calls to neighboring communities. In 2020, Station 69 responded to 286 total calls for service including calls in the ‘first due’ and assistance calls to neighboring communities. The map below depicts Station 69’s first due response district.
Station 69 operates a specialized fleet to meet the hazard potential in its first due. Fire apparatus is typically designed for specific and often times multi-tasked functions. Below is a general overvew of the fire apparatus operated by Station 69:
Engine 69-1 is a unit commonly referred to as a pumper. A pumper is equipped with a pump and a water tank. A pumper is the foundation of every fire department because the fundamental purpose of a fire department is to extinguish fires. Engine 69-1 was built in 2003 and is equipped with a 1,750 gallon per minute pump to pump water from a water source to the fire. It carries a large assortment of varied diameter hose. Larger diameter hose is needed for water supply. Large diameter hose is what is used to get water from a fire hydrant to the pumper. Then through smaller diameter hose lines, commonly called attack lines, firefighters maneuver them into a building to fight the fire. Engine 69-1 also has a 750 gallon water tank that is used to extinguish smaller fires such as car fires, trash and brush fires. Engine 69-1 is also multi-taksed as a rescue carrying specialized hydraulic and pneumatic rescue equipment. It has seating for six firefighters.
Engine 69-1 responds first on reported vehicle accidents and special rescue incidents in the first due. It also assists neighboring fire departments at fires upon request.
Engine 69-2 is a unit commonly referred to as a pumper. A pumper is equipped with a pump and a water tank. A pumper is the foundation of every fire department because the fundamental purpose of a fire department is to extinguish fires. Engine 69-2 was built in 2007 and is equipped with a 1,750 gallon per minute pump to pump water from a water source to the fire. It carries a large assortment of varied diameter hose. Larger diameter hose is needed for water supply. Large diameter hose is what is used to get water from a fire hydrant to the pumper. Then through smaller diameter hose lines, commonly called attack lines, firefighters maneuver them into a building to fight the fire. Engine 69-2 also has a 750 gallon water tank that is used to extinguish smaller fires such as car fires, trash and brush fires. Engine 69-2 has seating for six firefighters.
Engine 69-2 responds first on reported fires in the first due. It also assists neighboring fire departments at fires upon request.
Tanker 69 is a 1997 unit designed and equipped to provide water at incidents where hydrants are not available, such as at rural agricultural areas, or where water sources are not readily available like on the highways. It is equipped with a 1,000 gallon per minute pump and carries 3,500 gallons of water. It carries a two devices called a porta-tank with is a portable folding tank that looks like a swimming pool. This tanks becomes a water source from which a pumper can supply water to a fire. The porta tank allows Tanker 69 and mutual aid tankes to refill at another site and then return to refill the porta tank.
Squad 69-1 is a 2011 unit serving multiple purposes including tranporting additional personnel to calls. It carries specialized hydraulic rescue equipment hazardous material spill supplies and portable generators. Squad 69-1 responds first on medical assist calls, such as cardiac arrest incidents, and responds to support the other apparatus to support operations. Squad 69-1 has seating for 5 firefighters.
Squad 69-2 is a 2017 unit designed to support various operations. It is capable of plow operations for snow events and its storage bed allows for the tranport of contaminated or dirtied equipment from an incident scene. It is also used by personnel for attending training programs at various in-county and out- of county training venues.
Duty Officer 69 (DO69) is a 2015 Chevy Tahoe designed for the duty officer to manage emergency incidents. It is equipped with multiple communications equipment to support dispatch and operational channels as well as maintaining accountability of operating personnel. DO69 carries preplan information incluiding floor plan maps of first due target hazards to direct personnel as well as hazardous materials resources to manage and support public protective actions for hazardous substance releases.
Chief’s Vehicle (CV69) is a 2015 Chevy Tahoe designed for the chief officers to manage emergency incidents. It is equipped with multiple communications equipment to support dispatch and operational channels as well as maintaining accountability of operating personnel. CV69 carries preplan information incluiding floor plan maps of first due target hazards to direct personnel as well as hazardous materials resources to manage and support public protective actions for hazardous substance releases.
Hempfield Fire Department is proud of our dedicated volunteers serving in various capacities including firefighters and administrative personnel. Our active responder roster includes the following:
Thomas J Ames
Chris Andrew
Brenda Banzhof
John M. Banzhof
Alex Borten
Jeff Boyd
John Curtiss
Derek Dimeler
Lester Dimeler, Jr.
Amber Fair
Dave Fair
Dalton Farrow
Brian Finnegan
Randy Freed
Makai Gillis
Jesse Harris
Cody Hart
Jessica Hartman
John Herr
Deanna Hershey
Ben Herskowitz
Kim Herskowitz
Cameron Hertzog
Jeremy Hertzog
Josh Houser
Doug Howard
Mason Howard
Gary Jackson
John Lightcap
Josh Lightcap
Joe Link
Cory Mackey
Edward McCauley, Jr.
Troy Mattis
Donald Miller
James Newcomer
Joshua Newcomer
Robert Pickel
Scott Polly
Brandon Reed
Scott Ritzman
Ben Roth
Zachary Schneck
Alexandria Shufflebottom
Seth Snyder
Jerry Stevens
Benuel Stoltzfus
Levi Stoltzfus
Zach Swade
Carmine Volturo
Ben Watson
Ray Wisotzkey
In addition to response personnel is the Support Group that provides administrative support, organizes community events, fund raising events and provides rehabilitation proceedings when response personnel are on campaign events and training. The support group includes the following members:
Chair: Emily Schneck
Treas: Hali Freed
The fire company conducts a monthly business meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm
The company also conducts weekly training drills every Monday evening (except on Holidays) starting at 7pm. If you interested in learning more about Station 69, feel free to stop by the station during Monday Night Training or anytime someone is at the fire station.
There are two officer segements that work in concert to provide emergency response services (Line Officers) while at the same time managing the daily business and administrative operations (Administrative Officers) of the company. Some members serve dual roles. Below is a list of the Line and Administrative Officers
Line Officers
Fire Chief Joshua Newcomer
Deputy Chief Benjamin Herskowitz
Assistant Chief Randy Freed
Captain Doug Howard
Lieutenant 1 Ben Watson
Lieutenant 2 Amber Fair
Sergeant Seth Snyder
Safety Officer Dave Fair
Administrative Officers
President Scott Detweiler
Vice President Dave Fair
Treasurer Seth Snyder
Secretary Hali Freed
Building & Grounds Lester Dimeler
Additional Board Member Jerry Stevens
If you are interested in being a part of the Station 69 team and you are at least 15 years of age you will need to submit an application.
-To obtain an application you can;
-download one from the link below
-stop by the station and pick one up, OR
-email one of the contacts listed above to have one sent to you.
-We require a $2 fee with your application which covers the costs to conduct a background check. After the background check is completed the Membership Secretary will contact you to schedule an interview with the Membership Secretary and both a Line and Administrative officer. Next your application will be read before the membership committee and a balloted vote conducted to accept you as a member.
-Then you can start your volunteer fire department service regardless if it is as a responder or support member.
http://hempfieldfire.com/join/ (PDF link on the website)
The apparatus carry hydraulic rescue tools, commonly known as the “jaws of life”, to cut people out of cars. These tools are often used by our firefighters on some of the major roads in our coverage area, like Route 283.
The tanker carries 3500 gallons of water. Primarily used for fires in areas without hydrants, large dump chutes on the rear and sides of the tanker can discharge the water quickly into portable tanks to be used on the fireground.
The engines are equipped with a deluge gun on the top. This allows lots of water to be quickly discharged towards the fire to either help extinguish it or protect exposures.
Both engines have light towers on top to light up the scene of an accident or other incident.
The 2003 American Lafrance engine has a top-mount pump for the pump operator to control water discharges from a protected space directly behind the cab. This keeps them off of the road and in a location that can see both sides of the engine.
