Check out the article below about Fire Police Captain Bill Radford. The article appeared in last week's printing of the Community Courier! It is also available online at https://www.townlively.com/firefighter-spotlight/.

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William H. Radford, volunteer fire police captain, Glen Moore Fire Company.

Cpt. William "Bill" Radford, 73, of Glenmoore, a member of Glen Moore Fire Company Station 48, has been volunteering as a fire police officer since 2016. Radford, a resident of Glenmoore since 1977, started his volunteer career in 2016 after retiring from a 30-plus-year career in the semiconductor industry.

Cpt. Radford is a 1963 graduate of Upper Darby High School, attended Temple University and West Chester University, and served in the United States Marine Corps as a machine gunner from 1966 to 1973. He rose to the rank of sergeant in a weapons platoon. Radford has been married to Bonnie Powell-Mendenhall Radford since 1967.

Radford's son has been volunteering as a firefighter and rescue diver for close to 20 years. When Radford retired, his son suggested he volunteer in his local fire department as a way to share his life experiences and knowledge of the local area.

After joining the Glen Moore Fire Company in 2016, Radford completed Fire Police I and II training through the Chester County Public Safety Training Center, a premier first responder training facility in Chester County. Radford also holds training certifications in Emergency Vehicle Operations, Hazardous Materials, CPR, and many other areas. Radford was promoted to fire police captain in 2018 and serves at the direction of the Glen Moore Fire Chief Jeff Seese. Radford oversees all fire police officers and all fire police operations in the primary response district of the Glen Moore Fire Company.

"Members of our community like Bill Radford have a tremendous amount to contribute," said Seese. "Capt. Radford and our fire police officers are an integral component of keeping our volunteers and our citizens safe at emergency scenes. Without them, our personnel would be performing the job at an increased risk. They are an integral part as it pertains to the safety of our operation."

Fire police officers are sworn in as special fire police in the municipalities served by the Glen Moore Fire Company. Once sworn in, they have limited police powers to perform their duties in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The majority of what they do is controlling traffic and access during emergencies and special events. These officers are not paid and are contributing their time, often in freezing temperatures and precipitation for hours, to ensure that firefighters, emergency personnel, and the public are safe.

Those interested in volunteering in their community may visit http://www.helpfightfire.com, which is Chester County's volunteer recruiting webpage. Those who visit the website can learn about volunteer opportunities in their local communities.