Somerton: Lt. Joe Sroka Keeps Watch Over Engine 58 Crew
Fighting fires isn’t for everyone and it wasn’t something Lt. Joe Sroka imagined himself doing. As his career approaches three full decades on the job, Sroka has spent the past 20 years as an officer in the Philadelphia Fire Department. His hard work and leadership earned the respect of his crew at Engine 58 in Somerton. “One […]
City Hall: City Drops Appeal of Firefighters’ Arbitration Award
After battling with the city’s firefighters over their arbitration award, Mayor Michael Nutter pulled an about-face and dropped the city’s appeal of the award. The mayor announced that the city was dropping the award at a press conference last month. “In light of improved city finances, we have concluded that we would be left with […]
Ludlow: Veteran Firefighter Helping The Community For 39 Years
You could say that George Bucher was just entering the family business. After all, his father, uncle and grandfather all served on the Philadelphia Fire Department. Now in his 39th year as a fireman Bucher grew up hearing his relatives talk about their lives on the job. “They would always have a huddle and tells stories,” […]
Mt. Airy: Firefighters React to Ladder 21 Reopening Ceremony
“He wanted smiles, but he was taking credit for what was already needed for years,” explains a firefighter of Ladder 21 and Engine 9. The “he” in question was Mayor Nutter on Feb. 5, at the reopening ceremony for the Mt. Airy fire station. For the past eight months the station was closed for renovations […]