The stench of gas, a plume of smoke, the blare of an alarm – who responds? The fire department, of course, but the services so often taken for granted don't just happen. People like Dave Nosal make professional quality crisis response a reality.

He first joined the Wescosville Fire Department as a volunteer at the age of 16. At that time, the department responded to between 200 and 225 calls per year. Then, in 1998, the fire department and social hall separated as the firefighting element re-emerged as the Lower Macungie Fire Department.

Lower Macungie Township's housing boom created a shift in the population center and the need for expanded services. Consequently, in 2010 the department opened its second station, Brandywine Fire Station, which is situated in the exact center of suburban Lower Macungie Township next to Willow Lane Elementary School.

In 2011, the Lower Macungie Fire Department dealt with 496 calls making sure false alarms were safe, investigating reports of strange odors and working to suppress and subdue structure fires.

Nosal stresses, "All we expect of volunteers is their time."

He has given freely of his. As the department has evolved, so has Nosal. He took advantage of multiple training opportunities and currently holds his Fire Fighter I and II, Instructor I, Officer I, Rescue, Basic and Special Vehicle, Hazardous Materials Operations and Paramedic certifications.

He also served as assistant fire chief for seven years before becoming Lower Macungie Fire Department's chief in 2005. However, he consistently downplays his own accomplishments, preferring to highlight the factors strengthening the firefighting skills of the men and women on his team.

Staying up-to-date in the digital age gives any organization an edge. Nosal and company have made becoming involved as simple as firing up the computer.

Visit www.lowermacungiefiredepartment.com and click "contact." The department's address, phone and fax numbers and online sign-up site, info@firestation30.org, are instantly accessible.

For those who donate their time, an incentive program rewards volunteers who practice and improve their firefighting skills. Incentive eligibility is based on a combination of continued training and active participation.

In addition, all firefighters are required to undergo a yearly physical. Nosal emphasizes the department's commitment to developing highly trained firefighters.

"Unless they are trained to do the job, they are not going to do it," Nosal said.

In addition to its weekly training program, Lower Macungie sponsors the Bucks County Fire Academy. Firefighters from throughout the Lehigh Valley attend classes at the Mack South Training Grounds in Allentown approximately twice a week for six months. The high percentage of Lower Macungie firefighters who attend this and other classes has resulted in the department maintaining a gold level rating from the Pa. State Fire Commissioner's Office.

With all of this hard work, the Lower Macungie Fire Department has, and continues to have, 100 percent certification of its 42 active members in Fire Fighter I and/or Hazardous Materials Operations.

To round out their qualifications the rescue team has Pa. Dept. of Health Rescue Certification and many of the volunteers have earned additional advanced certifications.

Incentive and training are only two of the engines a fire chief must keep running. Nosal said he is responsible to the public. He serves as the coordinator with and liaison to the township.

During the construction of the new fire station, Nosal met with community groups and addressed the need for a second station. He works to educate his community while overseeing Fire Prevention Week activities which include open houses at the fire stations and school visitations.

Nosal said as a fire chief he must plan for the future. Fire trucks, communication systems and protective gear have limited life spans. Nosal and his team determine what, when and how equipment will be replaced and financed.

He does not live at the fire station but he is always working to keep Lower Macungie Township safe. Nosal's family, wife Emily and daughters Nicole and Grace, and a full-time job complete the circle of responsibility in his life.

Practical and intelligent, Nosal explains his strategy for simultaneously maintaining family, job and avocation, "If you need to make your day longer, sleep less."

Interested in becoming a Lower Macungie fire fighter? Call 610-398-0996, stop by Station 30 7 p.m. Wednesday nights or visit www.lowermacungiefiredepartment.com and use the online sign-up option.