With the ringing of a bell, a joyous and somber ceremony brought the Salisbury Township community together to dedicate the new Swain Fire Station Sept. 28.

There were words of remembrance, words of hope and words of a dream fulfilled as Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company marked its 65th anniversary with a crowd of hundreds of who spilled out from the building’s four open bay doors framed by Western’s aerial ladder truck displaying a huge American flag.

Less than one year after the Oct. 2, 2023, groundbreaking for the fire station, the joy was palpable even as rain fell intermittently.

Children cavorted in plastic yellow toy fire helmets, could have their faces painted and doused wooden flames on a miniature structure with a pretend a fire hose.

Western Salisbury Fire Company T-shirts, mementos and baked goods were on sale at fundraiser tables.

A lineup of food trucks offered a variety of items with a portion of proceeds benefiting the fire company.

A somber tone was set at the start of the noon Sept. 28 dedication ceremony for the $3.6 million Swain Station, 950 S. Ott St., with a precise parading of the colors by the Allentown Fire Honor Guard and a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by members of the Salisbury Township High School Marching Band, who played atop the balcony as those gathered below sang along.

“My dad was an original member,” Jan Radokovitch, Western Salisbury treasurer-historian who stood at tables displaying photos of the fire company, its volunteers and activities, said. The table was set up at the big yellow 1965 American LaFrance pumper.

Radokovitch was age six when she attended the dedication of the original Swain Station, Sept. 24, 1979, with her dad Stephen.

Fifty-two years and four days later, Radokovitch said to a reporter for The Press, “I don’t think we’re ever going to see something like this again in my lifetime.”

Swain Station saw action even before the Sept. 28 dedication ceremony. The first call was 8:43 a.m. Sept. 18 for a vehicle fire on Interstate 78.

“Sixty-five years ago, the community came together to form the Western Salisbury Fire Company,” fire company President Adam Al-Khal said, adding the community was back for “this very special and necessary project.”

Referencing Psalm 127 in the Bible for the invocation, Chaplain Rodney Wells said, “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder builds in vain.

“May the fire house be a sanctuary of safety and a symbol of resilience for our community,” Rodney Wells said.

“I want to offer a sincere thanks for all of you,” Western Salisbury Fire Company Fire Chief Joshua Wells said.

Among officials attending: State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-134th, Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners President Debra Brinton, township Commissioner Alex Karol and Commissioner and Western Salisbury firefighter Alok Patnaik; Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich, Director, Public Works Jim Levernier and Director of Finance Paul Ziegenfus; Moravian Academy Head of School Adrianne Finley Odell and Swain School Campus Director Megan Franzyshen and Ron Jerdon, president, Jerdon Construction, general contractor for Swain Station.

Joshua Wells recounted the Swain Station project which had many twists and turns, saying, “It has spanned the last 13 years.”

Praising Jerry Royer, Western Salisbury safety officer, emergency medical technician, board member, trustee and life member who took a leadership role in the project, Joshua Wells said, “If you know Jerry, you know he was the right guy for this job.”

Joshua Wells thanked the Swain School for the original donation of land in 1979 and a subsequent parcel donation, and Attorney Richard B. Somach of Norris McLaughlin PA., Attorneys At Law, for handling legal matters for the project for the fire company.

The previous Swain Station had structural and facility challenges. “Our firefighters deserve to have more than one bathroom and no mold,” Joshua Wells said.

The new Swain Station can house six apparatus and includes training and meeting rooms, offices and five bathrooms.

“The station has a sprinkler system because we practice what we preach,” Joshua Wells said.

“When he asked me if I’d take this project on I never knew what I was getting myself into,” Royer said with respect to Joshua Wells.

Referring to Salisbury Township Planning and Zoning Officer Kerry Rabold, Royer said, “I must have been on her speed dial.”

Noting the Swain Station’s No. 31 backlit sign, Royer said, “It was so bright that we had to turn it down. Our poor neighbors could read the newspaper in the dark.”

“I’m very proud to be here and I’m very happy for what has transpired,” Brinton said.

“I’d say to our neighbors,” Chaplain Gus Al-Khal said in closing remarks, referring to the proximity of the Swain Station in the Green Acres neighborhood to the well-kept single homes, “Every time you hear the sound of a siren, think that they’re going to rescue someone.

“There’s no difference between this place and a church or synagogue. This is holy ground,” Al-Khal said.

“We dedicate this holy ground ... this place of life,” Al-Khal said.

With that, Western Salisbury firefighters and officials lined up along the red ribbon strung between two bays. It appeared trustee Royer’s hand was on the scissors for the first snip.