01/21/2026 1900 – Chief Hayden, Deputy Chief Hayden, Assistant Chief Garland, Firefighter Knabe and Firefighter Zamorski received a Unit Citation for their courageous and selfless acts rescuing a woman from an apartment in June:
On June 23, 2025 at 12:08 The Merion Fire Company was dispatched to a fire alarm at the Oakwynne House Apartments at 1209 Old West Wynnewood Road. First arriving crews were met with light smoke in the first-floor hallway. The crew found heavy smoke conditions in a first-floor apartment. As fire crews were stretching a hose line to attack the fire, firefighter Tom Knabe, Deputy Chief Tom Hayden, Firefighter Chris Garland and Chief Tom Hayden entered the apartment. A victim was found on the floor, under debris and was moved out of the apartment where firefighters Zamorski, Knabe and a police officer carried the victim to waiting ambulance members who could safely begin treatment.
The Merion Fire Company could not be prouder of these members for their actions. They are a credit to the fire service and exemplify all that we hold dear at the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore.
After the unit citation members of the Merion Fire Company, along with members from all the other Lower Merion fire companies, were recognized for various certifications over the last 5 years, highlighting the thousands of hours of training and education completed by our volunteers. Members of all the Lower Merion Fire Companies put in 16,000 hours towards certifications, this does not count home company training or responding to calls for service. This is an amazing number of hours especially considering that these are volunteer firefighters who do this after regular jobs and around family obligations.
The Merion Fire Company salutes the hard work and dedication if its members for the hours spent on certifications to be better firefighters!
Congratulations all on a great night of awards!
