FOGELSVILLE, Pa. (WLVT) - Three minutes can be the difference between someone's house burning to the ground, or worse.
The Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Company in Upper Macungie Township is looking to add to its team of live-in firefighters to prevent just that.
The company encourages its volunteers to stay the night. Officials say it improves both training and response times.
"Those extra minutes we've taken off is a huge difference," said Fire Chief Doug Gernerd. "So you're going from a six- to seven-minute time frame of getting out of the building to an average of eight to 10 minutes to get where you're going. You now have a fire that's been burning for 18 minutes alone. The house is probably gone."
The all-volunteer company has four live-in volunteers, but room for up to 10.
Volunteer Nick Bosga was the first of the group to join.
"We make sure all our equipment is good to go for the next call," he said. "After that we'll kind of eat dinner. Sometimes we'll hit the local diner. Sometimes we'll cook in. All depends on the guys' mood, and from there it's usually just relax in the recliners, watch some TV and hang out."
If you'd like to find out more about the live-in role or other opportunities to volunteer, you can contact the Fogelsville Volunteer Fire Company.