The Vol. Barto Fire Company is the designated fire company of Washington Township, Berks County,
Pennsylvania. We are first due in all of Washington Township, and receive assistance from both the
Bechtelsville and Bally Fire Companies.
The Volunteer Barto Fire Company has sent our 2009 Fund Drive letter. Thank you to all of the residents and business establishments who support us every year!
The money raised helps us to purchase and maintain firefighting equipment, as well as send our
firefighters to various types of training, all of which is
critical in providing the highest level of fire protection for
the residents and businesses of Washington Township and the
surrounding communities. The fund drive letters are sent out to all residents, businesses, and land owners in Washington Township..
Please help support your local emergency services organizations. Support comes to us in many different forms,
whether it be time, materials, money, or your public support at any of our functions. Thank you again.
Have you ever stopped and thought about how the address to your property is displayed? Often we don't think about things like this, because our mail carrier knows where we live, and so do our friends, so what do we need to worry about? Think about this...what if emergency services personnel can't find you? Every second counts in an emergency, and the easier it is for us to find you, the better we can serve you. As a general rule of thumb, your address should be displayed at the entrance to your property, in at least 3 inch reflective numbering and in plain view for emergency services personnel to see easily from the roadway. The Vol. Barto Fire Company is selling reflective address signs to make finding your residence easier for emergency services personnel. Please consider the purchase of one of these signs to help us find you more quickly in case of an emergency. Signs can be made horizontally or vertically. They are $15.00 each, and can be ordered by calling the Barto Fire Company at (610)845-2877, and leaving a message with your name, address, and if you'd like your sign created horizontally or vertically. You can also stop by the fire station on Monday nights between 6:45 and 9:00, and we'd be happy to make up a sign for you while you wait. Below are pictures of what the signs look like:
| Reflective sign at night |  |
| Reflective sign during the day |  |
What better way to show your support for your local fire department than by wearing one of our new T-shirts! Or if you're not a T-shirt person, a beautifully embroidered hat to keep
the bright sun out of your eyes! We currently have embroidered hats and screen printed T-shirts for sale.
Hats and shirts are $15 each, with shirt sizes of S,M,L,XL,XXL, and XXXL.
| SHIRT BACK | SHIRT FRONT | FULL VIEW |
 |
 |  |
The Vol. Barto Fire Company hall is available for rental.
The hall comfortably holds about 60 people. For more information, please contact Ernest Gehman at
(610) 367-4049, or call the fire house answering machine at (610)
845-2877 and leave a message.
Please be aware that the township burning
ordinance allows burning ONLY between dawn and dusk. Any
fire still burning after sundown will be extinguished if the fire
company is called about it. Any questions should be referred to the Township at (610)845-2753, or Matthew Bakes,
Township Fire Marshall, at (610)845-8217.
Ever thought about volunteering in your community? The Vol.
Barto Fire Company is always accepting applications for new
members both active and social. If you would like to
volunteer, or are just curious as to what we do, please stop by
the engine room, located just south of Barto Rd. on Old Route
100, any Monday night between 6:45 and 9:00 pm. We
would be happy to show you around, and answer any questions you
may have. Kids are always welcome!
The Barto Fire Company recently upgraded their existing Holmatro Hydraulic Rescue Tool system. The upgrade consists of a DPU31 power unit,
(2) 25 ft sections of CORE Technology hydraulic hose,
upgrading our 3150UL Combination Tool to CORE Technology, and adding a 4050 NCT cutter. These upgrades allow us to utilize both tools simultaneously, thereby cutting down on time to extrication. We also have an HMC8 pedal cutter. and the chain and shackle pulling package for our combination tool.
Additional equipment includes, Turtle Plastics step cribbing and wedges, and a "1 and 1"set of Junkyard Dog Rescue Struts. This set actually includes 2 "Nightmare Rescue Struts", and 2 "G-Force Rescue Struts" We also carry a Glas-Master windshield tool, and a chain come-a-long, along with assorted chain lengths and hooks.
Monthly meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month.
To view the latest continuing education courses for Fire/EMS available through Reading Area Community College, visit http://www.racc.edu/ConEd/ and click on "Public Safety" under the Continuing Education tab. Most classes for residents of Berks County are free of charge.
