Home » Meet Firefighting Families of Hopewell Valley: Husband and Wife Follow Generations of First Responders

Meet Firefighting Families of Hopewell Valley: Husband and Wife Follow Generations of First Responders

by MercerMe Staff

Volunteer fire and emergency service runs in the blood of some Hopewell Valley families. You’ll find just that in “Meet the Firefighting Families of Hopewell Valley,” a four-part series in which you’ll meet several of them!

Part 1: At the Pennington Fire Company, everyone predicts a day when the Demareski boys and their dad will fully crew a fire engine all by themselves.

Part 2: Union Fire Company & Rescue Squad husband-and-wife team David and Julie Crum each followed multiple generations into their volunteer life-saving and leadership roles;

Part 3: Hopewell Fire Department & Emergency Medical Unit’s fire house is the second home of more than a dozen Toths; and

Part 4: Volunteer with Relatives or Without. A Second Family Awaits

Part II: He Fights Fires, She Helps Keep Union Fire Company Running

David and Julie Crum both grew up in the company of first responders.

David’s grandfather was chief in Lambertville. His father, Edward, was a Union Fire Company volunteer for about 30 years, and his aunt Janet, a former UFCRS Rescue Squad officer, is now active with the UFCRS Auxiliary, as is his sister Rebecca. David joined UFCRS two decades ago as a teenager and is now a firefighter and EMT.

Julie’s dad, Edward is a former fire chief for Upper Makefield, and her mom, Karen, a former UFCRS Rescue Squad captain. She went to her first fire as an infant – they were out as a family when the tones dropped. Her brother, Edward Jr., is an EMS battalion chief in Bensalem. Julie joined the UFCRS Auxiliary two years ago, and is now auxiliary secretary and UFCRS second vice president on the administrative side.

The excitement of training and the adrenaline of emergency response are big membership rewards for David. “It’s fun, and it’s always a learning experience,” he said.

Violet Crum

Members, new and experienced, learn from each other, he explained. No experience is necessary to be a part of it.  “There are classes for everything – firefighting, emergency medical technician training, and everything in between. And the fire company pays for members’ classes – all you really have to spend is time.”

There are also important, non-emergency roles that require much less training, Julie said. “All you need is to be a good person who wants to help. You can help by working  the cash register at the door of the pancake breakfast, taking flowers to customer’s cars during the flower sale, bringing food to the sation during long calls, and everything in between.”

The Crums’ daughter, Violet, 3, already loves the firehouse, especially when she gets to help clean the trucks. “She asks to go to the firehouse all of the time,” Julie said.

Stay tuned for more in this series and thank you to all our first responders!

You and your family can be an integral part of the Hopewell Valley volunteer firefighter and EMS family. For more information, please visit www.ProtectHopewellValley.com, or call Matthew Martin at 609-537-0287

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