Dave Tomcics was elected Eastern Salisbury Fire Department chief recently at a fire department general meeting.

Tomcics succeeds Clint Ballek who served as chief for eight-and-a-half years. Ballek said, "it was just time" for him to step down as chief.

Ballek continues to run with the department as a firefighter and as a Salisbury Township employee, he is a member of the township fire brigade, whose members are trained to assist during serious daytime fire emergencies when many volunteers are at work.

Tomcics was "born and raised" in Salisbury Township. He joined the ESFD as a junior firefighter when he turned 16.

In 2001 and 2007, Tomcics held the position of vice president of the fire department organization. He has served as president since 2008.

Department organizational officers are separate from the line officers who direct firefighting and rescue activities.

Tomcics became a fire lieutenant line officer in 2008 and assistant fire chief in August. Normally the line officer election is held in December, but company officers felt there should be an election to fill the interim vacancy.

Other line officers are: Denny Takacs Jr., deputy chief; Kyle Mertl, assistant chief-rescue; Bob Curcio, fire captain, Jim Seagreaves, fire captain; and Kyle Swartz, fire lieutenant. Frank Bummer is fire police captain and Jim Tomcics is fire police lieutenant. The position of assistant fire chief remains vacant.

Organizational officers serving with Tomcics are: Jim Seagreaves, vice president; Lindsey Tomcics, treasurer; and Sarah Takacs, secretary.

Organizational and line officer elections for 2014 will be held in December and position changes, if any, will be effective January 1, 2014.

Tomcics said this will be his last year as organizational president of Eastern Salisbury Fire Department.

"I want to focus my efforts on the position of fire chief for the remainder of this year and, hopefully, for more years to come," Tomcics said.

Tomcics said he is pleased with the department's accomplishments during his tenure as president.

"We were able to acquire a new rescue truck, a new pumper, a squad/utility truck, and a forestry truck," Tomcics said.

"We were also able to make building upgrades by installing a new 'full station' back-up generator, a fire alarm system, and a door access system.

"My vision as Eastern Salisbury's fire chief is to continue the high quality training we give our firefighters through the Bucks County Fire School. This is so we can be at our best at protecting the residents of Salisbury Township."

"As chief, it is important to recruit and retain firefighters and fire police officers. It takes a lot of dedication and volunteers have been hard to come by in recent years," Tomcics said.

"The department currently has 25 active firefighters and fire police officers, and we are always looking for more members to assist," Tomcics continued.

"Anyone interested in joining the department must be 16 years or older to submit an application. We are at the station every Monday night for anyone that may have questions, or wish to submit an application.

"The company has been allotted a federal grant this year which will help replace outdated fire hose, and additional grants are another department focus. These grants help alleviate financial reliance on the township and taxpayers," Tomcics said.