At the Sept. 2 Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting, Han-Le-Co Volunteer Fire Rescue Department Assistant Fire Chief William Hummel announced to council that Fire Chief Keith DeAngelis resigned. No reason was given at that time.

Hummel noted he retains the assistant fire chief position but is also the acting interim fire chief until the department completes the process selecting the next chief.

After the meeting, department board of directors President John Wechsler noted DeAngelis was stepping aside due to increased employment responsibilities and wanting more downtime with his family.

Wechsler said the selection of a new fire chief is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

DeAngelis actively served the community for decades. He marked a milestone in December 2016 when he was awarded a life membership for achieving 20 years of dedicated service to the fire department. For nearly all of those 20 years, he served continuous roles as a fire line officer.

A fire line officer is a frontline supervisor, typically holding the rank of lieutenant or captain, who directly leads and manages a firefighting crew at the station and on the emergency scene. DeAngelis assumed these supervisory roles, culminating in achieving the role of the fire chief.

Under DeAngelis’ leadership, the department handled everything from routine fire suppression and hazardous material situations to field medical assists, reportedly including helping to successfully deliver a newborn baby.

DeAngelis prioritized a safety-first culture by modernizing standard operating procedures and drilling his firefighters on the “Everyone Goes Home” protocol.

The “Everyone Goes Home” initiative is a national firefighter safety campaign developed by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Its primary objective is to reduce preventable line-of-duty deaths and injuries across the fire service. The core of the program relies on the 16 firefighter life safety initiatives, which provide a comprehensive blueprint for structural, cultural and behavioral safety changes within fire departments.

Ordinance 675, bill 2026-07, was approved for the solicitation of bids for a contract regarding the 2026 sanitary sewer and storm sewer rehabilitation project. Its approval, in an amount to not exceed $1,000,000, is subject to change orders and unit price adjustments.

Council voted to authorize the township manager to sign a proposal with Tu-Way Communication for two years of system update maintenance and priority service response not to exceed $20,000.

Council approved the payment of bills through Sept. 2, in the amount of $106,182.

The next Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Council meeting is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 16 in the municipal building, 2202 Grove Road, Allentown. Visit hanleco.org to review the agenda.