Towamensing Township supervisors welcomed Jeremy Haydt as the new fire chief of the Towamensing Township Volunteer Fire Co.

Haydt was sworn into service by Supervisor Penny Kleintop during the board’s meeting Thursday evening.He took the oath before the public and supervisors as his sons, Todd and Tyler Haydt, stood with him holding a Bible.Haydt has been a volunteer firefighter for 28 years. He started as a teenager with a department in Northampton. He came to Towamensing Township in 2005 and joined the fire department in 2006.Over the years, he has had the opportunity to work with many fire chiefs. They were men who led their departments well, and Haydt said he wants to follow in their path.“I plan to bring a little of what I learned from each of them to the job and move the fire department forward,” he said.Haydt also gave a report to the supervisors on the department’s activities.The department responded to six calls in June, the firefighters have been attending training, the department participated in a couple parades and won two first-place awards at one of them.The training has covered topics from solar panels to wilderness fires, wilderness search and rescue to first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Anywhere from eight to 12 firefighters attended training courses, Haydt said.The first aid and CPR training now enables the firefighters to assist the emergency medical service if needed.“If called upon, we can get there,” Haydt said.The younger men in the department have been working hard to get the fire equipment cleaned up for parades this year. In addition to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Jim Thorpe, they went to a parade in McAdoo attended by fire departments from six counties, he said. It was at that parade that Towamensing Township won the two first-place awards.Haydt said one award was for the department’s rescue pumper in the light rescue category and for best antique truck. The department’s 1951 Chevrolet Hahn won that award.“It made it to the parade and home on its own power with no hiccups,” he said.Haydt said the fire department isn’t there to focus on going to parades, but “parades are a great tool for building pride.”There is a lot of hard work that goes into preparing the equipment, and seeing it look its best and be appreciated builds that pride in the department.In addition to Haydt’s new position, the fire department also has four new officers. David Beers and Guy Seifert will serve as directors, Robert O’Donnell will step in as vice president, and Susy Seifert will be the financial secretary.Kleintop mentioned that the fire department is looking to rebuild its auxiliary membership. It used to be called the ladies auxiliary, but she said both men and women would be welcome.