High 5 To Heroes Salutes Fredonia Fire Chief

FREDONIA, Pa. (WKBN) – The Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce selected a local volunteer fire chief to be honored as a well-deserving first responder.

The High Five To Heroes Award, which is presented monthly to a local first responder on behalf of JCL Development, was presented to Brian McClure, who serves as the fire chief at the Fredonia Volunteer Fire Department.

“Chief Brian actually was a random choice. We have everyone in the county that we pick from, and we are thrilled because this is a volunteer fire department. So you think about what they do, and these gentlemen and ladies volunteer to do this,” said Jim Bombeck, Executive Director of the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce. “They protect our homes, they protect our businesses, they do education, they do fire prevention, they do fire safety. And it just makes this area a great place to live, work and play.”

One of the big reasons a volunteer fire department was chosen is that there’s no pay for volunteering to save a life.

“Many of them have full-time jobs, and then they put themselves in harm’s way as a volunteer,” said Bombeck. “It’s just really quite incredible if you think about it, and so it’s just our way of saying thank you. Thank you for what you do. We appreciate you.”

Not only does the Shenango Valley Chamber present the award, but they also break bread with the entire department. The chamber also recognizes that these volunteers do projects to help the community as well.

“They’re at all the parades. They’re all the gatherings, all the things, again, to make sure that we as a community are safe, and it’s great to live here because of that,” said Bombeck. “And I’ve never had a fire personally, and I’m thankful for that. But when you see those fire trucks, I always say a prayer, Lord, go with them because they’re putting themselves in harm’s way.”

Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce Board Director Stephen Kelleher couldn’t agree more, and it means the world to be able to honor local first responders this way.

“It means a lot to us, actually. I come at this from the perspective that, as a young man, I used to do this as a volunteer fireman and an EMT. So these things kind of touch my heart,” said Kelleher. “I know the work, I know the sacrifice. I know the sweat and the effort that it takes to volunteer in this capacity. So I feel all of these folks need to be singled out, recognized, and applauded for what they do.”

The chamber selects a first responder randomly in the county and understands how difficult the job truly is.

“Imagine an excruciatingly crazy alarm waking you up in the middle of the night, which is the tones that you get on your pager. It’s two in the morning, and you’re rolling out to you don’t know what,” said Kelleher. “You might not get home until 4:30 or 5:00, and then go to work. If it’s winter and it’s snowing and it’s icy, it’s a sacrifice. It’s a huge commitment that these folks have, and we need to honor that.”

Chief McClure simply volunteers because he loves to help others and credits his team for always backing him up.

“I enjoy helping people. I enjoy the ability to make a difference and help someone in need. I felt pretty proud. It’s not just me getting this with these guys that are sitting here,” said Chief McClure. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without the 9 or 10 that come here. They roll one of these trucks out, and they take four people. Got to get it there. Then you got another truck. You have to get in there. Then you’re going into the fire.”

What also got him involved in the volunteer fire department was family.

“The volunteer fire department has been here since 1932. I started in 1978. The town here was mostly relatives. Family members got me involved,” said Chief McClure. “These guys, they’re excellent. They’ll do anything you want to ask them to do. But just the satisfaction of helping somebody in need. They’re on duty all the time, 24-7. It’s an honor to get an award. Very much so.”