Politics & Government

Township Recognizes Volunteer Firefighters for Service

Ray Tomnay has served with the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department for 40 years.

The township recognized 10 men with the during Monday's commissioners meeting.

"We thank you for your service," said Matthew Serakowski, township manager of Upper St. Clair.

Commissioner Daniel Paoly presented certificates of appreciation to each firefighter and thanked the men. He said his house caught on fire when he was a child in Ohio.

Find out what's happening in Upper St. Clairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Steve Moore, Upper St. Clair's fire chief, gave special recognition to Ray Tomnay, who has been with the department for 40 years, and Russell Rauch, who has been with the department for 35 years.

"Without the dedication and years of service that they (Tomnay and Rauch) did, myself and the rest of these guys wouldn't be here today," Moore said.

Find out what's happening in Upper St. Clairwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Commissioner Bob Orchowski, the president of the Upper St. Clair Board of Commissioners, noted that there is a waiting list of people who want to become a junior firefighters with the department. He said that is significant because "there are a lot of communities struggling" to keep up their volunteer fire departments.

The following is a list of the recognized firefighters and the number of years they have served with the Upper St. Clair Volunteer Fire Department.

Ray Tomnay - 40 years
Russell Rauch - 35 years
Thomas Edkins - 25 years
Gregory Gerlach - 20 years
John Lekse - 15 years
David Kish - 15 years
Charles J. Pascarella III - 10 years
Joseph Pascarella - 10 years
Michael Russell - 10 years
Alex Romah - 5 years


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