Home Care In Silverdale, PA

SILVERDALE — Dylan Lapinski says it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time when he alerted Dawn Ruth that her home was on fire. For her, it was much more than that.

“I owe him a debt of gratitude I can never repay,” Ruth, 68, said of Lapinski, a Master Chief Petty Officer on the USS Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday morning Lapinski was dropping his son off at Central Kitsap High School around 7 a.m. on his way to work when he smelled something burning.

“Submarining for as long as I have been, you know that smell,” Lapinski said. He thought it was his truck at first, but the smell faded as he dropped his son off at school. As he turned back onto Frontier Place NW, the smell returned. He said he knew something was wrong.

He pulled off into a driveway to investigate and found a fire climbing up the post of Ruth’s deck on the back of the home.

“As I was calling 911 her smoke alarm started going off and I started pounding on her door because the size of the fire wasn’t going to get put out by a garden hose,” Lapinski said.

Though Lapinski knows how to corral fires as part of his Navy training, this fire was burning big fast, and his priority was getting whoever was in the house out.

Lapinski alerted the neighbors to get out of their homes, which had propane tanks in the backyard, to prevent shrapnel or have flames spread to another occupied house.

Next, he stopped the incoming high school traffic — the road was getting busy — to make room for the fire engines that were on their way. As fire crews and sheriff's deputies arrived, Lapinski headed back up to the school to talk to Ruth and retrieve the jacket he let her borrow.

“He’s a wonderful human being who cared about someone else enough to put himself out and he gave me his jacket because I was freezing yesterday,” Ruth said. “I was so cold and scared and he made sure I was safe.”

The two reunited Thursday at Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 51 in Silverdale, where Ruth thanked Lapinski for saving her life. She gripped his hand as she sobbed and expressed her gratitude for both his service in the military and for his off-duty service to her.

“They go into military service to lay their lives on the line for people and he went above and beyond to save my life,” she said.

Ruth’s husband, who was out of town during the fire, is retired from the Navy. All the memorabilia from his service, a flag and other keepsakes, were burned in the fire. Lapinski presented Ruth with a “challenge coin” — a token of honor and remembrance used as a gift in the Navy — and told her it could be a start to rebuild what they lost. The coin has Lapinski’s command crest and name along with the ship’s crest and name inscribed on it.

Ruth is staying positive. She said her and her husband’s lives will improve in ways they don’t even know yet because of the fire. The house needed a new roof, carpet and dishwasher, and now she has the opportunity to “start fresh,” she said.

“Through all of this, I’ve had friends coming out of the woodwork to support me," she said. "It’s just amazing, the community, I’m blessed to live here. I love Kitsap.”

She came to the fire station Thursday in clothes donated by her friends, and the slippers she wore during her escape from the fire Wednesday. She said there’s still soot under her fingernails.

“Some of it’s still a blur. I’m still pretty numb from it,” she said.

Lapinski said fighting a house fire is a bit different than a submarine fire.

“You have about two minutes to put a fire out because if you don’t get it out and it grows that smoke and heat is not going anywhere, it’s staying inside in the submarine,” Lapinski said. “Whereas in a house, at least the smoke is dissipating out windows or into the air. We don’t get that option, so very quickly we can be overcome by smoke. You can’t see, it can become very dangerous very quickly.”

He said sailors aren’t firefighters quite in the way that the Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue crew are, but as a chief on a submarine he trains his crew on combating fire and flooding casualties. They have the same firefighting ensembles, helmets and boots, as firefighters on land.

“We respond to a casualty instead of away from one. It’s natural for all the submarine force. We see a fire and we go to the fire to get it out,” Lapinski said.

Ruth is also grateful for the fire department, and like the Navy, has personal experiences that only increase her thankfulness to them.

“I can’t say enough about the fire service. They were my family for six and a half years when I worked for the Tacoma fire service,” she said. “Military and fire and law enforcement — they’re all out there so we can enjoy our ways of life that we have here.”

The call for the fire came in at 7:02 a.m., and the fire was under control by 8 a.m. Hot spots continued to flare up for a few more hours, said Ileana LiMarzi, public information officer for Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but it originated near a stored motorcycle and space heater under the rear deck of the house.

SILVERDALE, Wash. (Oct. 26, 2020) - The gold crew of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) conducted a change of command, Oct. 26.

Cmdr. Michael Charnota, from Acton, Massachusetts, relieved Cmdr. Roger Ferguson, from Epsom, United Kingdom, to assume the duties and responsibilities as Pennsylvania gold’s commanding officer.

Advisor for Refits and Maintenance Capt. Joseph Turk, Commander, Submarine Group 9, spoke fondly of his time working with Ferguson and of Ferguson’s accomplishments as Pennsylvania gold’s commanding officer.

“Roger, your legacy as a commanding officer will endure long past your time on board. As you depart your Sailors, you’ve mentored and trained them to aspire and achieve promotions and advancements, qualify for command, and chief of the boat and engineering department master chiefs,” said Turk. “Roger, you served our nation with honor and the Pennsylvania gold crew with honor, courage and commitment. You and your crew delivered every time the county asked. Congratulations and a job well done, shipmate.”

During his time as commanding officer, Ferguson lead Pennsylvania gold through four strategic deterrent patrols, four pre-deployment training periods, a dry-docking refit and an unprecedented 10-day transition from dry-dock to sea. Ensuring the crew’s welfare was a top priority, Ferguson’s advocacy of career development resulted in Pennsylvania’s receipt of the retention excellence award three years in a row.

“I’d like to convey my personal thanks and gratitude for the incredible hard work, selfless dedication and extraordinary accomplishments of our crew,” said Ferguson. “This is hard work. The standards are high. It’s demanding. It’s relentless, but we always focus on doing the right thing, and that’s why it’s such a privilege to command one of these ships… and I am very grateful for everything it has forced me to change about myself, so I could rise to every challenge along the way.”

Charnota comes to Pennsylvania from Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.

“As I take command of Pennsylvania Gold today, I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time and it’s really an honor,” said Charnota. “Roger, congratulations on a successful command tour and turning over a great ship and a great crew. Know that taking command of a talented group of Sailors is the honor of a lifetime. Let’s get to work!”

Pennsylvania was commissioned in Groton, Connecticut, Sept. 9, 1989. She is the 10th submarine of the Ohio-class of SSBNs and the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Pennsylvania spent the first 13 years of her service life based at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, before shifting her homeport to Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington, in October 2002.

For more news about USS Pennsylvania and other Commander, Submarine Group 9 units, visit www.csp.navy.mil/csg9/ or www.facebook.com/SubGru9.

Two co-workers vanished from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, more than two months ago and local authorities believe foul play is behind their disappearances, authorities said Wednesday.

A nationwide search is underway for Matthew Branning and Michael Allen Stark, who worked together at a business in Silverdale, Pennsylvania, county District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said.

Branning has not been seen since Oct. 15 and Stark has only been seen once since that day -- at a pawn shop in Michigan in mid-November.

"I don't believe in coincidence. So candidly, we suspect foul play," Weintraub told reporters. "Nobody quit the job. They just stopped appearing. It's like they ceased to exist."

Video surveillance on the day they disappeared, along with cell phone and toll road data, has given law enforcement officials a glimpse at what Branning and Stark may have been up to in the hours after they were last seen.

Both left work Oct. 15, and about 4 p.m. that afternoon, surveillance video showed Branning in his 2002 Lexus stopping at an ATM in Sellersville, near his home, Weintraub said. Another person could be seen in the backseat of Branning's car, but the person could not be identified through the video. No one was in the front seat.

Cell phone data then showed Branning's car in central New Jersey about an hour late, then ending up in Cape May, New Jersey.

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At about 9:30 p.m. that night, Branning's cell phone was used at a Wawa in Cape May and Stark, his co-worker, could be seen on surveillance video making a purchase at that convenience store, Weintraub said. Branning was not seen.

The last known location of Branning's car was recorded later that evening through toll road data: The car was heading north and then west on the Atlantic City Expressway.

"Since that date, unfortunately, there has been no activity on Branning's cell phone, in his bank account, or any contact with his family," Weintraub said. "Every attempt that we and others have made to locate his vehicle has turned up nothing."

Stark, however, has been seen one time since on surveillance video at a pawn shop in Michigan, Weintraub said.

The 47-year-old from Royersford, Pennsylvania, pawned a bike on Nov. 13 at Garden City Pawn in Garden City, Michigan, he said.

Since then, Stark has not been seen.

Branning, 50, worked at the business in Silverdale, Bucks County, for the last nine years. It is unknown how long Stark worked there.

Weintraub said both men have been entered into nationwide missing persons databases and authorities describe Stark is a person of interest in Branning's disappearance.

He did not identify a motive for the disappearances.

Silverdale Volunteer Fire Co. is celebrating its centennial anniversary.

One hundred years since its inception, the organization remains committed to serving its community.

Following a major fire at a bakery in town, the men of Silverdale came together to establish a volunteer fire company on Nov. 11, 1914.

The company’s 24 founding members originally met at a local clothing factory. Its first call was on Aug. 8, 1915, when lightning struck the barn on the Howard Sensinger Farm in Hilltown.

On May 25, 1924, a new firehouse was dedicated in the heart of the borough.

Silverdale remains one of the oldest operating stations in Bucks County, said Chief Keith Seifert.

William Boorse’s grandfather, William Wismer, was one of the founders of the fire company. At age 83, Boorse is a 50-year member and lives next door to the firehouse.

In his grandfather’s days, the fire alarm was sounded when someone took a sledge hammer to the steel ring, which hangs like a bell in front of the firehouse. The ring is an original wheel from a Reading steam locomotive. For 100 years, it has sat as an iconic reminder of the dedication of the community’s volunteer firefighters.

Eighty-year-old Kenneth Knapp joined the fire company at age 18. His father was a member and he was excited for the opportunity to volunteer.

Knapp remembers a slightly more sophisticated fire call system than banging on the steel ring in the center of town. In the early 20th century, there were three phones in town, he said. To notify firefighters of a fire, someone had to call the closest resident to the firehouse, and that person would then run across the street and sound the siren.

Without any protective gear, the men would sprint from across the community and hold onto the back of the open-cab fire engine — which held 250 gallons of water and emptied in five minutes — as it raced to extinguish the fire.

During those early days of fire apparatus, Silverdale’s equipment was outdated. The company also suffered from minimal training and poor leadership, said Boorse.

“I think this was the most backwards fire company,” he said. “You did the best you could with the equipment you had.”

In June 1958, the fire company began using two-way radios in its trucks and firehouse.

Silverdale operates out of Station 59. All of Bucks County’s fire station numbers are tied to the order that they acquired radios, said Knapp.

A generation later, Silverdale is equipped with modern firefighting technology and its firefighters are highly trained. However, like many volunteer fire companies across the region, it struggles with an issue that their grandfathers didn’t experience.

“When these guys joined it was the thing to do. Your whole family joined,” said Seifert, nodding toward the company’s senior members. “It’s tougher to get volunteers.”

Silverdale’s 30 unpaid firefighters must undergo more than 200 hours of training to achieve their state certification. With weekly practice drills and late-night fire calls, it can mean a hardship for a man or a woman who has a full-time job and is raising a family.

“It’s a huge commitment,” said John Gillespie, a member for 27 years.

But there’s something special about the men and women who serve, he said. The volunteers enjoy being a part of a brotherhood and a sisterhood of firefighters, and they take immense pride in their service.

“Once you get it in your blood it’s there as long as you live,” said Gillespie.

Relying on fundraising efforts like flower sales and pancake breakfasts, Silverdale operates on a slim budget.

To commemorate its 100th anniversary, there will be no fanfare, parades or plaque presentations. The company plans to host an open house for local families in late summer.

The members of the Silverdale Volunteer Fire Co. continue to serve with the same humble spirit and dedication the community’s first firefighters embodied.

“The community is very fortunate to have that dedication,” said Chief Seifert. “We are a small fire company, but we’re very close-knit.”

Silverdale Volunteer Fire Co. serves the tiny borough of less than 1 square mile and 875 residents. It also provides primary coverage to about 30 percent of Hilltown Township and assists other fire companies across Upper Bucks and the Pennridge communities.

Amanda Cregan is a freelance writer. She can be reached through editor Harry Yanoshak: 215-345-3051 or [email protected].

SILVERDALE >> After about 15 years on Silverdale Borough Council, Steven Cordell is switching seats as he moves into the mayor’s position, but his goals as a member of the borough government remain the same, he said – “just to continue to make it a good place to live.”

His involvement in local government comes from being part of a family that believes in giving back to the community, he said.

His father, David Cordell, served as Chalftont’s mayor, along with having been on borough council and the planning commission, Steven Cordell said.

“I think my community service is a nod to my dad,” Cordell said.

After growing up in Chalfont, he’s lived in Silverdale for about 28 years, he said.

Cordell’s wife, Christine, is Silverdale’s tax collector.

“We moved up to Silverdale after our first child was born and liked it,” Cordell said. “We made it our home.”

The couple have three grown children – Cameron, who is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force; Devon, a golf pro; and Olivia, who works in the hospitality industry in Orlando, Fla., Cordell said.

Cordell follows Lowell Musselman as mayor after Musselman, who served four decades as a borough council member and mayor, retired from Silverdale Borough government at the end of 2017.

“He did a good job and all the people that served have done a good job of making it a great place,” Cordell said.

“We have to change according to the times, but I think anybody would do that in order to keep up with the rules and regulations, those types of changes,” he said, “but fundamentally, we continue to make it a good place to live.”

Silverdale highlights include not having had a tax hike since the 1960s.

With Cordell moving to the mayor’s position and two other longtime borough officials – Carol Frick and Joyce Patton – retiring from borough council at the end of 2017, the board has three new members in 2018 – Lawrence Feick, Myra Burne and Ross Ransom.

Cordell is president of a family business in Chalfont that was started by his father.

“We make overhead cranes and material handling systems,” he said.