Since he was a teen, Eric Lilly has been motivated by a desire to help others.

The Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company lieutenant joined his first department as a 16-year-old junior firefighter in Summit Hill.

His first four years were spent with Summit Hill before volunteering with Franklin Township for the last 21 years.

“It’s an honor to help the community,” said Lilly, who was recognized Monday night by the American Legion Post 314 in Lehighton as its firefighter of the year.

Lilly said around 80 percent of the emergency response calls for his department each year are vehicle related.

One of the largest fires Lilly remembers responding to is the 2006 blaze that leveled Country Junction in Towamensing Township.

“I just remember the massive amount of fuel load in that building,” he said. “It was a fire where you knew you weren’t putting it out, and you just hoped to keep it contained the footprint of the building. You really do the best you can and wait for Mother Nature to take its course.”

Two other fires Lilly recalled were the recent Trainer’s Inn blaze and one at Bowmanstown’s Prince Manufacturing in 1999.

When the call comes, Lilly said, his first thought turns to life safety.

“If anyone is in immediate danger, that is first and foremost,” he said. “That puts us in a whole different mindset as opposed to an unoccupied building or vehicle. Property can be replaced, but people can’t.”

First responders are put in danger all the time fighting fires, and Lilly has not been immune to it.

His scariest moment with the department, he said, came when he broke his leg.

“The floor burned out from underneath me,” he said. “I was probably out for three months and it required surgery.”

Along with the pain comes the joy of helping others. Lilly said he takes pride anytime he or his fellow volunteers can assist someone in getting out of a bad situation,

“Sometimes it is just finding a small personal item undamaged in a fire and returning it to the person,” he said. “That can literally make their day. And of course anytime you can help save a life, it makes you feel like what you’re doing is worthwhile.”

Not only do firefighters risk their lives to save others, they do it without compensation. Lilly said he still finds a lot of people who can’t believe fire departments in Pennsylvania are manned by volunteers.

“People also don’t realize how expensive it is to run a department and all of the fundraisers and grant writing and those types of things that go into it,” he said. “The money that taxpayers are saved by having volunteer departments is phenomenal.”

Lilly’s advice for anyone thinking of volunteering is to prepare for a lot of training. While the hours may seem endless, however, there is a reason for it.

“The training is what makes you the best you can be so it’s something I’ve always welcomed,” he said. “The more training you take on, the safer you’ll be and also the safer the volunteers on a scene with you will be.”

We’ll be featuring volunteers from area fire companies on the fourth Saturday of every month. Send suggestions to tneditor@tnonline.com.