Meet Warminster's First Full-Time Firefighters

WARMINSTER, PA —Dan Pfeiffer. Gabe Fox. Justin Brewer.

Those are the first full-time firefighters in Warminster Township's history.

The three new firefighters took the oath from District Judge Daniel Finello Jr. before a packed room at Thursday night's Warminster Township Supervisors meeting that included a contingent of firefighters and rescue squad personnel from throughout Bucks County.

Fire Marshal Joe Velten —the township's emergency management and services director — introduced the three and shared their backgrounds as the township added the firefighters to help provide additional available fire and rescue personnel during the business day on Mondays through Fridays.

Supervisors had reached an agreement with the fire companies over the summer to hire three full-time fighters, ending a long-time dispute with the fire companies that one fire chief called a "roller coaster" to go through the process.

Meet the new firefighters:

• Justin Brewer —Brewer, 31, of Wrightstown is married to his wife Nicole. He is the son of Tim Brewer, the fire chief of the Upper Makefield Township Fire Department, who coordinated the emergency coverage during the fatal flooding that took the lives of seven people in mid-July. Brewer served as a firefighter for 17 years in Upper Makefield Twp. He used to work for the Trenton-Mercer County (N.J.) Airport and U.S. Steel in Fairless Hills.
• Gabe Fox —Fox, 44 of Pipersville is married to his wife Beth and has two children, Kaylee and Grayson. He is a Marine Corps. veteran of the Iraq War. Fox was a volunteer with the Penndel Fire Company for 29 years and was also a truck driver for TDS Concrete in Feasterville.
• Dan Pfeiffer —Pfeiffer of Plumstead Township had served as a 10-year member of the Plumsteadville Fire Company. He is a graduate with a bachelor's degree in communications from Temple University. He worked in EMT security for Pine Run Village in Doylestown.

During the swearing-in ceremony, firefighters from the Warminster Fire Department and Hartsville Fire Company attended along with Warminster Fire Chief Mitch Shapiro and Hartville Fire Chief Chris McDonald. There were also past fire chiefs in attendance.

Also among those attending were firefighters and emergency squad members from Middletown Township, Penndel, William Penn, Falls Township, and Newtown, among others.

"This is the start of our full-time firemen," Supervisors Chairman Kenneth Hayes told the crowd. "We will continue the process and look forward to building a full-time staff here."

Velten said that they had to come up with a firefighters' oath since the township never had one before.

"We know that you will do great service to Warminster," Finello said. "THis is truly something to behold for years to come."

Township Manager Tom Scott said the three firefighters went through a "rigorous selection process."

"We are confident that this is as good as it's going to get," Scott said.

The two fire companies held town hall meetings at the beginning of the year to state their case to residents that fire officials tried to seek funding for full-time firefighters. The fire companies have criticized the township for failing to provide adequate daytime coverage.

The fire department argued that Warminster received a $1.8 million SAFER grant two years ago to pay for five full-time firefighters for three years but the township never enacted it.