A veteran firefighter has been honored for nearly six decades of service to the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company.

On Tuesday, Lower Towamensing Township supervisors presented a proclamation and certificate of appreciation to Rory Koons for 56 years of service to the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company.

Koons became a legal member as a junior in high school and was named assistant fire chief in 1972.

He also served as fire chief from 1982 to 2001, was critically injured while fighting a fire in his hometown in December 2000, and served as president of fire company from 2004-2023.

A life member of the Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Company and the West End Fire Company, Koons was the first Carbon County resident to earn a degree in Northampton County Community College’s fire technology course in 1976.

He was awarded the commonwealth’s first “Outstanding Young Fire Fighter” award in 1979, and has earned the Warren E. Furry Firefighter of the year Memorial award in 2000.

In 2004, Koons served as Volunteer Carbon County EMA Deputy, and is currently the local emergency management coordinator for Lower Towamensing Township.

He is the chairman of the BEFESA Community Fund since 2023, but has been a prior member since 2014 serving as secretary.

Koons was also an original member from 2008 to present of the Carbon County Emergency Training Facility committee — known as the Jack of All Trades, while spending countless hours at the facility with planning, development and maintenance issues.

In addition, he was a Fire Safety instructor, a Red Cross First Aid instructor, an American Heart Association CPR instructor, past member of the PA Keystone Fire Chiefs Association and the Assistant Fire School instructor for the Carbon County Fireman’s Association Annual Fire School.

Also, Koons has spent countless hours restoring an antique hose cart for the fire company, and has been an integral part of the growth, advancement and improvement of the fire company and has made himself available at all hours to protect the lives and property of this township, giving of his time, talents, and efforts along with countless hours of training.

Afterward, Koons said he was grateful to the township for acknowledging the firefighters.

“I appreciate their interest in recognizing all the guys,” Koons said. “It was nice that after all these years, they stepped up and recognized (the firefighters).”

In January, supervisors presented proclamations and certificates of appreciation to the other firefighters with 50 or more years of service to the fire company.

Honored at that time were Chris Kegel (58 years), Larry Arner (52 years), Larry Hahn (50 years) and fire Chief Bill George (50 years).

George, who was the only member of the fire department on hand at that meeting to accept the honors, thanked the board for the recognition on behalf of himself and the other firefighters.