The Lancaster Bureau of Fire and a group of business and civic leaders announce the formation of The Lancaster City Fire Foundation. The new 501(c) (3) organization will promote a fire safe environment for those who live in, work in and visit Lancaster City.

In addition to increasing public safety awareness through events, funding and resources, the organization will add high-level safety equipment and technology to enhance firefighters’ ability to reduce risk to themselves and the public. The local foundation is similar to one that was founded in 2000 in Worcester, MA by actor Dennis Leary, in response to the loss of his cousin who died while fighting a warehouse fire. The Leary Foundation has financed projects in urban areas of Massachusetts and New York, as well as gulf coast areas in Louisiana.

The increasing complexities of building environments, hazardous material situations and expansion of role to emergency medical services have great impacts on the training, equipment and daily duties of firefighters. Yet, many municipalities are forced to fund their departments in ways that fall short of providing firefighters with essential needs. The Lancaster City Fire Foundation will help fill this continual gap.

The Foundation will be earmarking its first funds for purchasing several FireHawk M7 Responder Air Masks. The Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) provides the maximum level of protection as firefighters enter an unknown and volatile environment. The Air Masks include cylinders of compressed air that provide up to 30 minutes of use. Future purchases will include fire pre-planning software to help firefighters document city building blueprints and personnel locations. Computers on fire trucks will give firefighters the opportunity to map out fire fighting and rescue plans while en route to the location.

The Foundation’s charter members include: Fire Chief Tim Gregg; Fire Captain Ken Barton; Patrick Egan, owner of Select Security and longtime volunteer with the Lancaster Twp. Fire Department; PA Representative Mike Sturla; Jack Howell, head of Lancaster Alliance; Tracy Horst, owner of Progressive Property Management; Kate Mullen, Special Events and Corporate Relations Coordinator for Lancaster General HealthCare Foundation; and Scott Scheffey, owner of Scheffey Integrated Marketing.

A website will be launched sometime in September, giving businesses and individuals more information about the Foundation and its planned activities. The site will be available at www.LancasterCityFireFoundation.com.