Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Department

Thank you to the Reading Eagle for covering this awards presentation.

Firefighters honored for pulling disabled man from burning home in Exeter Rapid response and coordinated effort credited with saving resident trapped in burning manufactured home on April 16

On Tuesday, Exeter Fire personnel assisted with a stand by at Station 46 (Kutztown) to staff fire apparatus during the visit from President Trump. Crews staffed the on duty engine for the day as the other crew stood by for the motorcade.

Exeter Fire crews split up tonight for training to join some neighbors to train on different topics. 28 members participated in training, along with 3 new recruits.

Tower 25 headed over to the Berks County Fire Training Center to work on ladders and high rise hose line advancements with the Lower Alsace Fire Company

Rescue-Engine 25 and Engine-Tanker 25 were at the Exeter Training Site to work on vehicle rescue techniques with the Gibraltar Fire Company Truck Crew

Thank you WFMZ for covering this story of our combination fire department working together for a successful rescue. The ETVFD has long been a combination fire department with both volunteers and paid staff during the daytime hours. These crews continue to work together for the community.

Exeter Township firefighters honored for saving man's life It was a story of hometown heroes as volunteer firefighters were honored for their response to what could have been a deadly fire.

On Monday evening at the Exeter Township Meeting, Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Department members were presented awards for their heroic and life saving actions on Thursday, April 16, 2026 at a structure fire with entrapment on Claire Drive in Exeter Township.

The Medal of Valor was presented to Exeter Deputy Chief Brian Rhein

The Medal of Valor is the highest award for bravery in firefighting, presented to a firefighter who exhibited exceptional courage and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty. It is awarded for acts involving extreme personal risk to save lives during incidents like structural fires, water rescues, or other life-threatening emergencies. It honors actions taken regardless of personal safety, often where the firefighter faces high risks of injury or death. The act must far exceed standard firefighting duties.

The Heroic Firefighter Award / Life Saving Award was presented to

Exeter FF John Frantz
Exeter FF Colby Johnson
Exeter FF Mike Kulp
Exeter FF Eric Wachter
Exeter FF Codey Eshenaur
Exeter Fire Chief Chris Jordan
Exeter Deputy Fire Chief Justin Shaffer
Monarch FF John Babiec

Heroic Firefighter Award / Life Saving Award is presented to firefighters or rescue crews whose direct actions (such as pulling someone from a burning structure or performing immediate medical resuscitation) directly result in saving a patient's life. Honor firefighters for extraordinary courage, life-saving actions, and selfless service in high-risk situations.

There was also a unit citation presented to the 30 ETVFD members that responded to the incident that worked as a team during the incident.

Here is a video link to the presentation shown at the Exeter Township meeting.

https://youtu.be/wegwy0fs73U

Deputy Chief Matt Eshenaur, Sgt. Josh Young, and Junior Firefighter Carson Rhein were also presented with the Chiefs award for their actions during the incident. DC Eshenaur for incident command, Sgt. Young for Pump operations, and Junior FF Rhein for staying calm and getting the water supply established in a timely manner.

We are extremely proud of all of the members involved in this successful rescue.



Here is a link to the full township meeting.

https://www.youtube.com/live/_bRHsaJwxYk?feature=shared

Happy Father’s Day!

Earlier today, some members of the ETVFD new building committee traveled to Baltimore, MD to visit with the design team at MW Architects. The purpose of the meeting was to layout and select finishes for the new emergency services center.

If you would like to follow the progress of the building progress, please click the link below.

https://www.exetertwpfire25.com/content/newstation/

Also during the day, crews responded to seven emergency responses including two structure fires, two gas leaks, and a vehicle rollover.

Members gathered later in the evening for a steak dinner at the Reiffton station!



If you would like to join our team, please click the link below to get started.

https://www.exetertwpfire25.com/apps/public/database/formAdd.cfm?Form_ID=1

Last night, crews took some time to practice forcible entry techniques on the “blue door”. This training prop allows members to get hands on training on different forcible entry scenarios.

Exeter Fire crews practiced vehicle rescue stabilization techniques during Tuesday night training. Crews gathered and split into separate groups to practice different scenarios.



If you would like to join our team, please click the link below:

https://www.exetertwpfire25.com/apps/public/database/formAdd.cfm?Form_ID=1

Sunday night crew hanging on the ramp at Reiffton!