Profiles in Volunteerism: Junior Firefighter Eric Weber

Name: Eric Weber

Age: 17

Lives in: Hellertown

Job: Junior Firefighter

Fire company: Dewey Fire Company No. 1

What's being a volunteer firefighter like?

“It’s a lot of fun. We find out a lot of interesting stuff about each other.”

How do your loved ones feel about you putting your life in danger?

“They like it because I do a lot of stuff for the community. They just find this more interesting because not a lot of kids my age do something like this. They are terrified when I have to run out of the house and put 45 pounds of gear on!”

Tell us a story you'll never forget about your firefighting experience.

“I went on a call with  (Phil Weber) and my brother. It was a false alarm. Also, the plastic fire in Palmer Township.”

What would you tell people interested in joining your fire company?

“It’s a lot of fun. You just come down and enjoy it. You’re here with people you hardly know and a year goes by and you know almost everything about that person. My brother is here, my dad did it, and then I joined. I always wanted to do it because my pop started it. Other people should volunteer because you learn stuff that typical people don’t learn. You learn things that just blow your mind.”