PA Fire Chief Reflects on 41 Years at Helm

After 41 years serving as the Lake Winola Fire Company chief, Marty Bonifanti has passed the torch.

Bonifanti joined the fire company in 1964 as one of its first licensed ambulance attendants. He has been actively involved in the company for the past 55 years, only once taking a hiatus to serve in the Navy from 1967 to 1972. He was a helicopter flight deck troubleshooter on aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War and also served on the Apollo 14 recovery team.

Elected as Winola’s assistant chief when he returned home, Bonifanti was elected chief in 1977, an office he held until Jan. 1. While Bonifanti recently was nominated to continue as chief, he turned it down to let younger volunteers at the fire company move through the ranks. Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency Director Gene Dziak took over the position of chief Jan. 1.

“I think it’s time for some movement in the officers,” Bonifanti said. “They asked me to stay on as a deputy chief so I can help out, especially during the day when people work.”

The job doesn’t come without its struggles. As volunteers, there is no financial compensation, and those who aren’t retired typically have jobs outside of their duties at the fire company.

“It really puts a burden on families. I had a young family and it was tough,” Bonifanti said. “You had to go on calls and training, so really the family sacrifices so you can serve the community.”

Bonifanti’s son, Marty, lives with his family in King of Prussia. His daughter, Tracey Ellis, and her family live in Colorado. He has six grandchildren. He lives at Lake Winola with his fiancée, Roberta Kelly, where he said he tries to play golf and hopes to fish more.

Responding to emergencies can be traumatic, too, Bonifanti said. Motor vehicle crashes with entrapment that involve children are among the many incidents that stick with him.

There are also rescues with happy endings that are very memorable, he said.

Bonifanti and other emergency personnel once located a man who was lost in the woods on a cold day. While the man suffered from hypothermia, he was thankful to be alive.

“About a month later, we get a little card in the mail that said ‘Thank you all for saving my life,’?” Bonifanti said. “Those are worth it. So that keeps you going.”

Bonifanti’s grandfather, the late Martin A. Lahey, was an assistant chief in the Scranton Fire Department. His father, the late John M. Bonifanti, was a longtime secretary of the Lake Winola Fire Company. He attributes his interest in firefighting to his grandfather and father, whom he watched go out on calls, and who took him to firehouses.

“I’d come and hang out, and once it gets in your blood, you end up spending a lot of time here,” he said. “I’m truly proud to serve with not only our members but the whole community of volunteers. Just to be part of that team to me is very satisfying.”

The Lake Winola Fire Company will have its annual awards dinner and installation of officers banquet at the Stone Hedge Golf Course tonight at 6.

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