Shenandoah mayor steps up, joins fire police as volunteers still sought

SHENANDOAH – Earlier this year, Shenandoah Mayor Bob Cook issued a call to action to bolster the ranks of the borough’s fire police contingent.

“We need volunteers. We could use the help,” Cook said at the March borough council meeting. “I, myself, am going to join. Consider volunteering if your have the time.”

Well, he did. Cook assisted as part of a large mutual aid effort to for the procession of fallen Trooper Michael Pahira in Ashland as his first fire police assignment.

At Tuesday’s National Night Out event in Shenandoah, he joined Captain Fred Keim in fire police gear representing the unit.

“I’m sure glad to have him,” Keim told the Sentinel. “For years, I’ve been asking for people.”

Keim often is the only fire police volunteer responding for Shenandoah and, in March, Cook said there was a dire need for fire police volunteers.

“We need volunteers for everything,” Cook said. “We need people to want to run for office. We scramble every time there’s a vacancy. It’s about people getting involved in the community.”

“I thought, if I’m going to talk about it, I should do it,” he added.

Fire police officers handle traffic, crowd control, and other duties as emergency scenes. If you’re interested in volunteering, reach out to one of Shenandoah’s five fire companies or your local fire company if you live elsewhere.

The article Shenandoah mayor steps up, joins fire police as volunteers still sought first appeared on The Shenandoah Sentinel.