Meet Upper Moreland Township Volunteer Firefighter Dante Newman

Three years ago, Volunteer Firefighter Dante Newman was driving past his firehouse when he spotted a woman in front, phone to her ear, baby in her arms.

Dante knew something was wrong.  He pulled over and ran to the woman. Her baby was not breathing.

“I knew I could make a difference when I did CPR on that six-month-old, and the baby survived,” Dante, now 26 and an Upper Moreland Township Fire Department volunteer, remembers. 

What prompted Dante to become a firefighter and get the training that gave him the skills to save the baby? Teenage boredom.

“It was something I wanted to do to get me out of the house,” he said. Ten years later, Dante counts signing up among his best decisions. “It’s something I’m passionate about, something I was meant to do.”

The training – provided free to volunteers – is one of the best parts of firefighting, he said. 

“I love learning different things, and we are learning always at the fire department,” Dante said. He likes to push himself to take classes and become certified in various aspects of firefighting. He recently earned vehicle rescue certification. “It’s a hard course,” he said. Before achieving that certification, Dante still responded to accidents and assisted however he could. “The next time something like that happens, I’ll be able to use my rescue skills,” he said.

Upper Moreland firefighters are a tight-knit group, Dante said. “The relationships are what makes the fire department so strong.”

He encourages anyone who is looking for a way to help others, learn new skills, and build strong friendships to join.

“We always make new people feel welcome,” he said. “We want them to learn, and we want them to stick around.”