Meet Upper Moreland Township Volunteer Firefighter Bud Tucker

Newman, center, with his two sons

Upper Moreland Township Fire Department Volunteer Bud Tucker still can’t believe he gets to drive a firetruck. He never tires of the adrenaline rush that hits him when the crew gets close enough to see the fire’s glow. And he cherishes the deep friendships he’s made with other firefighters. But what’s kept Bud, 61, responding to emergencies since he was a teenager is the look on the faces of the people the fire department helps. 

“When they come up to you afterward and say thank you, that’s what it’s all about,” said Bud, a facilities manager at Jefferson Health – Abington.

In the same book where he keeps his firefighting certifications, Bud has three letters of commendation he’s received for his role in saving three lives. In all three cases, he and other firefighters responded to car accidents so severe that people were trapped inside. They used a Holmatro Rescue Tool to cut the car open so people inside could be removed safely and taken to the hospital. Holmatro sent the firefighters a letter and a pin. “The letters say that this person would not be alive if it wasn’t for you,” he said. “They made it, because we did good.”

Upper Moreland Township Fire Department is Bud’s third fire company.  His first was Hatboro’s Enterprise Fire Company, when he was a teenager. “Becoming a firefighter is what saved me,” he remembered. “Fire companies have strict standards you have to follow, and that kept me on a straight and narrow path,” he said.

Everyone at the firehouse has everyone else’s back, he said. That, plus excellent training, keeps firefighters safe. “What’s cool is we are committed to staying on the cutting edge of the industry,” he said. “The fire service is always changing, and we have always been the front runner in that knowledge.”

Upper Moreland Township Fire Department needs YOU to volunteer! No experience is needed to join. Training and gear are provided at no cost. Save! Protect! Volunteer! To sign up, learn more, or ask a question, visit: www.UpperMorelandFire.org