On June 22nd, 2018, the Westwood Fire Company celebrated its 71st Annual Banquet held at the Downingtown Country Club in East Caln Township, Pennsylvania. The company celebrates its success annually at their banquet and this year was not any exception.

The night began with an introduction of members, guest and officers of the company. Fortunately, each year we have a tremendous amount of support from our municipal leaders and mutual aid partners who attend and celebrate our company's success with us.

The dinner included an all you can eat buffet followed by coffee and dessert. The food was prepared by one of our firefighters who is also the Executive Chef of the Downingtown Country Club, Brad Rust. Brad and his team did a magnificent job preparing the food and event with decorations for our celebration.

Followed by dinner was a celebration of our members and how they contribute to our success. This year the firefighter of the year award was presented to Josh Waldrop. Josh works full time for the Valley Township Road Department, is a Valley Township resident and is a husband and father. In addition, Josh contributes a lot to our fire/rescue division with running calls, continuing education and station maintenance. In 2017, Josh ran over 100 calls unselfishly for his community and we recognize that. Congratulations Josh on receiving 2017 Firefighter of the Year Award.

Our next award was presented to James Pilotti who is a life member of the company and has been very active for many years starting his career here in 1995. James has served many capacities of the company including fire police lieutenant, fire lieutenant, safety officer, vice-president and trustee. This award is presented annually in memory of Chester A. Taylor Jr. to a firefighter who exemplifies the spirit of a volunteer in their relentless commitment to the Fire Company and the Community. James demonstrates the same service that Chetty provided for many years and we thank him for his commitment to the Westwood Fire Company.

The last award was presented to Adam Grossman who has been an active member of the fire company since 2002. Adam joined as a junior firefighter and worked his way through the ranks including Captain, Assistant Chief and Trustee. Through those years Adam has maintained a position in the top 10 responders for our fire company and our neighbors at the Sadsburyville Fire Company. Adam dedicates his time unselfishly to station duties, running calls and administrative task. In addition, Adam has contributed the most stories to our website since it began in 2005. Adam was awarded the Joseph Sweigart Memorial Award for exemplifying the true spirit of a firemen which Joe did for over 50 years.

The night concluded with a speech from our President John Sly and a speech from our guest speaker the Honorable Grover E. Koon who serves as a judge in Valley Township. We thank our members for their commitment to training, running calls and station responsibilities throughout the year. Without our volunteer's time, our organization would not be as successful as it is today.