By Diana Fishlock
Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2007 The Patriot News Co.
All Rights Reserved
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Marshall Mirarchi’s living in the hot spot.
Mirarchi, 21, has a big-screen TV, high-speed Internet connection and a large, modern kitchen with an industrial grill, heat lamp and double oven.
And he lives there for free.
Sometimes at 2 a.m. all the lights blaze on, and a bell blares. But Mirarchi loves that part, too.
Mirarchi, from Kulpmont, lives at Colonial Park Fire Company in Lower Paxton Twp. He is one of several dozen students living for free at midstate volunteer fire companies. When they’re not at classes, they’re putting out fires or helping accident victims.
Everyone benefits, local chiefs say. The fire companies get free manpower, especially at lean times such as during the day, when their members are at work, and in the middle of the night.
Many of the live-in students hail from little towns in rural Pennsylvania, where they serve on volunteer fire companies handling only a few calls a year. Instead of looking for a quiet midstate fire company where they’d have lots of time to study, many want the stations with the most calls, the most action.
“Friends from home, they’re jealous,” Mirarchi said. “They bring their gear and ride along for the day.”
The students — many of them majoring in fire science technology at Harrisburg Area Community College — eat, study and face danger together.
“You develop a bond and brotherhood. You’re there 24 hours at a time sometimes. You’re riding the fire trucks next to each other,” said Rick Brocius, who lived at Hampden Twp. Station 2 and Progress Fire Department while attending HACC. He is now is a firefighter/EMT for Manchester Twp. Fire Department in York County.
“We all work together,” said Justin Martin, 20, of Mercersburg, who has lived at Hampden Twp. Station 1 since August. “We all have the same fire science classes. We all work together on homework, projects. We all work together really well.”
They know they can count on one another.
“You know you can depend on them a lot more than the guys that come and go as it suits them or their families or whatever,” said Douglas Lowman, who lived at Paxtonia Fire Company in Lower Paxton Twp., where he now is chief.
Most fire companies allow HACC students with any major -- and even students from other colleges -- to live there if they join. Some have hosted female students, although not many apply.
Many of the fire science technology majors from HACC never graduate because they get job offers before they complete their education, said Perry Pierich, HACC fire-training coordinator and chief at Linglestown Fire Company.
Live-in students are expected to keep the station clean and maintain a minimum grade-point average. They’re given free training, gear and pagers.
“School comes first, obviously, but when they’re not at class and they’re at the station, they go [on calls],” Lowman said. “We give them a little leeway if it’s within an hour or two of class.”
Fire companies provide the fire training, leadership, drivers and equipment operators, said Jerry Ozog, a captain at Hampden Twp. Volunteer Fire Company. “The live-ins provide the needed manpower for vehicle accidents and structure fires, etc.”
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