New Tripoli community plans volunteer firefighters memorial, commemorates fallen firefighters

NEW TRIPOLI, Pa. – The Northwestern Lehigh firefighting community gathered at Ontelaunee Park on Sunday to celebrate the work of local volunteer fire departments.

And to honor the memory of two firefighters who died while fighting a house fire in Schuylkill County in 2022.

The inaugural Firefighter Appreciation Picnic featured food vendors, live music, corn hole performances, rock climbing and raffles.

The organizer was the Northwestern Lehigh Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2023 after the deaths of New Tripoli volunteer firefighters Zachary Paris, 36, and Marvin Gruber, 59.

“We wanted to do something to give back to our fire departments and our firefighter community,” said Kylie Adams-Weiss, founder and board member of the foundation.

Her husband is a firefighter in Palmerton.

“You really only see firefighters at parades and during emergencies, but we don’t necessarily thank them then,” Adams-Weiss said.

“We have to thank them all the time.”

Adams-Weiss and five other board members are raising funds to build a monument in Ontelaunee Park that will honor the volunteer firefighters.

The picnic was also an opportunity to raise money for the project, which will cost approximately $160,000. The monument will take at least a year to install.

The center of the monument will feature a bas-relief of firefighters, a list of fallen firefighters, the mission of the nonprofit organization, and a firefighter’s prayer.

“It’s just about creating a space for reflection,” Adams-Weiss said.

“We will never forget them”

The Northwestern Lehigh Firefighter Foundation also has plans to create a small water park at Ontelaunee Park with a firefighter theme.

Fundraising for the Firefighter Splashpad will take years and will likely cost at least $300,000.

The nonprofit is prioritizing the memorial, board members said. They will work with local municipalities on both projects.

Donations from Sunday’s picnic will also go to four Northwestern Lehigh volunteer fire companies: Germansville, Lynnport, New Tripoli and Weisenberg.

There are approximately 100 volunteer firefighters operating in four fire brigades.

Most Lehigh Valley fire departments are staffed by volunteers, which means they are not paid. Northwestern Lehigh fire chiefs said at Sunday’s picnic that recruiting volunteers is becoming increasingly difficult.

“I think everyone is leading a much busier life now,” said Gary Kuntz Jr., New Tripoli’s fire chief.

“Kids play sports, mom and dad work. It just makes it very difficult to find time to volunteer, train and certify.

“Today, the fire department is something obvious.”

Kuntz said his department and the Lynnport Fire Department raise funds mainly to cover costs because there is no fire department tax in Lynn Township.

Germansville Fire Chief Jay Scheffler said more people would volunteer if they knew how good it feels to help others.

Both Kuntz and Scheffler knew the New Tripoli firefighters who died in 2022. They said both Paris and Gruber were committed to their community and families.

“We will never forget them in this community,” Kuntz said.

‘He loved it’

The families of both fallen firefighters attended the picnic on Sunday and said the community support has been incredibly important to them as they cope with their loss.

“New Tripoli and even the surrounding communities have been very kind, caring and supportive to us,” said Gruber’s wife, Karen.

Jordan Gruber said her father was “the best dad in the world.”

“He was truly the best,” added Karen Gruber. “He was a very kind, compassionate man.”

Carol Paris said it was difficult to make it to Sunday’s picnic, but she is grateful for the community’s support.

Her son was “very caring” and “always wanted to do the right thing,” she said. He leaves behind two young daughters.

In addition to volunteering with the New Tripoli Fire Department as an assistant chief, Zachary Paris also worked full-time as a firefighter in Maryland.

As his mother said, putting out fires was his passion.

“He loved it,” she said.

Both Gruber and Paris will be honored again in July when a section of Route 143 in Lehigh County will be renamed Heroes Highway in their honor.

State Senator Jarrett Coleman’s office will unveil a new Heroes Highway sign on U.S. 143 across from the new Lehigh Valley Health Network medical laboratory site in Tripoli-Northwestern.

The unveiling ceremony will take place on July 18 at 5:30 p.m.