(SPRINGVILLE) – The Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department Board of Directors has appointed Jessica Voorhies as Fire Chief.
Voorhies will mark the first female fire chief in Lawrence County.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with such a great group of men and women on our department and the fire department board,” said Voorhies.
The annual meeting of the fire department was held Saturday at 7 p.m. at the fire station in Springville.
The department selected two new board members: Kim Baker and Jeff Long.
The Board of Directors is Kim Baker, Mark Baker, Brian Enochs, Carl Flynn, Angel Jackson, and Jeff Long.
With the appointment of Voorhies as fire chief, there is now a new vacancy of the board that will need to be filled.
“It is very exciting to be chosen to be the fire chief. I want to thank the fire board for believing in me to lead the department,” said Voorhies “I want to try to recruit new members for our department.”
Voorhies will also start using social media to keep the public informed and to share the needs of the department.
Voorhies first joined the department on June 19, 1993. Her father Max was fire chief, and her sister Becky joined the department prior to her.
The small rural department in Lawrence County made a record number of runs (213) this year. Many of those runs were mutual aid calls assisting Marshall Township Fire Department.
Volunteer fire departments over the last several years have seen a decline in volunteers due to the long hours of training and an increase in demands of emergency services.
The Perry Township Fire Department have long accepted women into the ranks. Others who have served are Keely Grogan, Tammy Martindale, and Rebecca Phillips.
