Rotary names Sardis VFC president as 2020 Volunteer of the Year
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The Paiano family of Murrysville knows a bit about firefighting.
Before spending 28 of his 35 firefighting years as president at Sardis Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Joseph Paiano Sr. learned about the long hours and sacrifice of the job through his father.
When Paiano is at the station these days, he watches one son, Cody, serving as the current Sardis chief while the other, Joe Jr., already served in that position and is now a career firefighter.
And he’s starting to see his grandson Enzo — possibly the fourth generation of firefighting Paianos — hanging out more and more at the station.
“We have a strong team of family members, my wife Melissa, my sister-in-law, mother, brothers and other family members,” said Paiano, who this month was named Murrysville-Export Rotary Club’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year.
Paiano spoke about his nearly four decades as a firefighter. The following interview is edited for length:
Q: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the field from your early firefighting days to now?
A: Some of the biggest changes I’ve seen are the amount of volunteers falling off since I started, along with the emergency call volumes building upwards of 500 per year.
Q: What’s been the biggest challenge the department has faced over the course of the coronavirus pandemic?
A: Along with trying to keep our volunteers safe, I must say the biggest challenge has been the lack of fundraisers — our only two fundraisers were scheduled for that time and had to be canceled.
Q: Murrysville council recently discussed establishing a special tax levy to help fund emergency service purchases and maintenance. How difficult is it financially to maintain the level of service year to year?
A: It’s very costly to maintain four major pieces — pump tests, ladder testing, hose testing, etc. — along with normal maintenance, tires, things like that. I must say, Mayor (Regis) Synan and council have been vital trying to help all of the municipal companies.
Q: What does it mean to be chosen as Volunteer of the Year?
A: I’m very thankful and honored to receive this recognition. It’s nice to know that others notice the effort put out and are appreciative.