Manheim Township townlively.com
JANUARY 10, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIX • NO 32
Library naming recognizes contributions of local Rotarian BY JEFF FALK
When a library is named after you, you know you’re doing something right. There’s a library and technology center located in Danli, Honduras, that bears the name
of local Rotarian and East Hempfield Township resident Dave Lawrence. Biblioteca Dave Lawrence was dedicated in the waning days of last year. “When I first found out about it, I was totally shocked and surprised,” said Lawrence. “They See Dave Lawrence pg 4
Manheim Township Fire Rescue Chief Scott Little is always on the lookout for good volunteers to help his department.
Things change. Society evolves. Priorities shift. A change in societal norms has created a shortage in volunteer firefighters locally and caused Manheim Township Fire Rescue to adjust how it provides emergency services. “We definitely have a crisis in Pennsylvania in the volunteer setting,” said Scott Little, Manheim Township Fire Rescue chief. “Volunteerism is down.” At the height of volunteer firefighting’s popularity in the 1970s, there were 300,000 volunteer firefighters in Pennsylvania.
Today, there are about 30,000. “Some fire companies in Lancaster County struggle for volunteers,” said Little, emphasizing the importance of instilling in local residents a need to give back to their communities. He noted that generational volunteer firefighters play a key role in keeping fire departments staffed with volunteers. Manheim Township Fire Rescue operates and staffs four fire companies - at Fruitville Pike, Richmond Square, Neffsville and Eden - with 34 full-time firefighters, 48 part-timers and 25 volunteers, 13 of whom are active firefighters and 12 who
provide administrative support. Overseen by Manheim Township municipal government, Manheim Township Fire Rescue operates with an annual budget of about $6 million. “We’ve become an all-hazard response force,” said Little. “We’re kind of a catch-all. That’s why our profession is so unique. Every time the tone drops, you’re going to something different. It’s a new day. It’s something unique and challenging.” To become a volunteer firefighter, individuals must complete 200 hours of training. “You’ve got to have trained p e o ple goi n g i nto b u r n i n g
Become a friend to bees BY CATHY MOLITORIS
“Hone y b e es p ollinate a third of everything we eat,” said Master Beekeeper Denny Gorman. “Without them, we wouldn’t have most of the fruit we eat. Honey bees also pollinate 100% of the almonds grown in this country.” Gorman, who is vice president of the Lancaster County Beekeepers Society, is passionate about the insects. He invites other people who are interested in learning more to attend the 2024 New Beekeeper Workshop.
It will be held on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Gathering Place, 6 Pine St., Mount Joy. The event will cover everything people need to start the hobby of beekeeping. “We provide a continental breakfast and a very nice lunch,” Gorman said. “I personally teach a class in honey bee biology and hive biology. We teach classes in how to extract honey, where to place your hives, a little bit on diseases. We try to prepare a new beekeeper with the basic info they need to start beekeeping.”
See Firefighters pg 3
See Beekeeping pg 4
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BY JEFF FALK
Local Rotarian Dave Lawrence recently had a library and technology center in Honduras named after him.
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Changing face of volunteerism affecting local fire rescue