Dewey Fire Company #1

What Dewey Fire Company #1 does

Dewey Fire Company No. 1 is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit emergency services organization operating continuously since 1897 from 502 Durham St., Hellertown, PA. It runs a dual-service model: a 100% volunteer fire suppression and rescue service, paired with a paid 24/7 EMS division staffed by 47 career personnel (27 EMTs and 20 Paramedics) and supplemented by volunteer EMTs and First Responders. The EMS division operates 5 licensed ambulances (4 ALS-equipped), 2 ALS/BLS non-transporting squads, 1 ATV, and 2 motorcycle units, providing Basic and Advanced Life Support coverage. Its primary service territory is the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township, with reciprocal mutual aid agreements extending response capacity across Lehigh, Northampton, and Bucks counties.

The organization is exclusively licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the Eastern Pennsylvania EMS Council to deliver primary fire and EMS services within its designated jurisdiction. It supports HIPAA-compliant medical records handling and outsources EMS billing and records administration to Ambulance Reimbursement Systems, Inc. Call volumes reached 481 fire calls YTD 2025, up from 349 total calls in 2019, with 2019 operations including 2,400 member training hours and 1,160 response hours. Auxiliary operations historically included a banquet hall (currently closed to bookings), a social club (currently closed), a merchandise and raffle storefront via Square and RallyUp, and a subscription service for ongoing community financial support.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit structure combining municipal service contracts, EMS transport billing, EMS subscription memberships, fundraising events (including the annual Sportsman's Night Raffle), and merchandise sales. Community engagement is driven through Facebook, an email newsletter, and grassroots volunteer recruitment via Monday-night station visits. The Honorary Fire Cadet Program (ages 8-12) and youth-oriented community programming support long-horizon volunteer pipeline development. No venture capital, private equity, or external institutional funding is involved; ownership and governance rest with elected officers and members.

Name

Dewey Fire Company #1

Legal name

Dewey Fire Company No. 1

Website

https://deweyfireco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dewey Fire Company No. 1 is a Pennsylvania nonprofit operating since 1897 as a 100% volunteer fire department with a paid 24/7 EMS division, serving the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township with Basic and Advanced Life Support, supplemented by regional mutual aid partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire and Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAGAB

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Law Enforcement & Public Safety (Police, Fire, EMS)

SECONDARYBPABANAG

Medical Emergency Response & On-site First Aid/Paramedics

Business & Public Services/Facilities Management & Building Services/Emergency Preparedness and Response Services

Keywords

• Fire suppression services
• Emergency medical services
• Volunteer firefighting
• Basic life support
• Rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Hellertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Fundraising and Events: Organization raises funds through events such as the 2nd Annual Sportsman's Night Raffle, banquet hall rentals, social club operations, and merchandise sales (patches, yard signs).
2. EMS Subscriptions: Subscription-based EMS services for residents of covered areas.
3. EMS Transport and Medical Services: Billing for emergency medical transports and services. Medical records requests handled by third-party administrator Ambulance Reimbursement Systems, Inc.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dewey Fire Company No. 1 provides volunteer fire suppression and rescue services to the Borough of Hellertown and paid 24/7 Basic and Advanced Life Support emergency medical services to the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township. The organization has operated continuously since 1897 and also offers community fundraising events, an honorary fire cadet program for youth, a social club, banquet hall rentals, merchandise sales, and subscription-based community support.

Product overview

Dewey Fire Company No. 1 is a dual-service emergency response organization consisting of a 100% volunteer fire department and paid 24/7 EMS division. The fire service operates independently as a volunteer organization, while the EMS division provides career-staffed Basic and Advanced Life Support services. The company also operates auxiliary services including a social club, banquet hall (currently closed), merchandise shop, subscription service, and various fundraising events. The volunteer fire services and paid EMS operations maintain separate leadership structures but operate from the same station to provide comprehensive emergency coverage to Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 349 emergency calls responded to in 2019 with 1,160 hours of response time
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Eastern Pennsylvania EMS CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoverning body for PA Department of Health licensing. All EMS agencies in Northampton, Lehigh, Berks, Monroe, Carbon, and Schuylkill counties are required to license through this six-county council.
• Bethlehem Township Vol. Fire Co. EMScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid partner providing BLS and ALS mutual aid support to Dewey EMS coverage area.
• Easton Emergency SquadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid partner providing BLS and ALS support when needed in coverage area.
• Upper Saucon Township EMSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid partner providing BLS support during high call volume periods.
• St. Luke's Emergency Transport (ETS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid partner providing ALS support. Affiliated with St. Luke's University Health Network.
• Bethlehem City EMScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary ALS mutual aid provider for advanced life support support when Dewey EMS requires backup.
• Lehigh Valley Health Network (MedEvac)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALS mutual aid support via MedEvac units 1, 2, 4, or 7 for critical transport situations.
• Lifeflight 6 (St. Luke's/Geisinger)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelicopter EMS transport service providing air medical transport for critical patients.
• Ambulance Reimbursement Systems, Inc.minorOthersThird-party billing administrator for medical record requests and EMS transport billing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• St. Luke's Emergency Transport Service: Hospital-affiliated ALS transport service operated by St. Luke's University Health Network. Provides mutual aid to Dewey and represents a vertically integrated, broader incumbent that could compete for local EMS contracts.
• Lehigh Valley Health Network MedEvac: Hospital-affiliated air and ground medical transport service and mutual aid partner. Larger, well-capitalized incumbent that competes for advanced life support and critical transport cases in the same region.

Regional players

• Fountain Hill Fire Department: Volunteer fire department in adjacent Fountain Hill providing EMS mutual aid to Dewey. Comparable as a small-town volunteer fire organization serving a single borough in the Lehigh Valley.
• Freemansburg Fire Company: Volunteer fire company serving Freemansburg Borough, a mutual aid partner for Dewey's EMS. Comparable as a small-borough volunteer fire organization with EMS mutual aid relationships.
• Williams Township Fire Company: Volunteer fire company in adjacent Williams Township providing EMS mutual aid. Operates a similar volunteer-based fire service with EMS support to a comparable suburban/rural Pennsylvania township.
• Salisbury Township Fire Department: Volunteer fire department in adjacent Salisbury Township providing EMS mutual aid. Closely comparable in scale, structure, and customer base to Dewey's service area.

Direct peers

• Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Company EMS: Neighboring volunteer fire company with paid EMS providing BLS and ALS mutual aid to Dewey's coverage area. Operates a nearly identical hybrid volunteer-fire / paid-EMS model in adjacent Bethlehem Township.
• Upper Saucon Township EMS: BLS mutual aid EMS partner serving an adjacent Saucon Valley township. Closely comparable service scope, customer base (municipal residents), and hybrid volunteer/paid staffing model.
• Bethlehem City EMS: Primary ALS mutual aid provider for Dewey's service area. Operates a municipal EMS division with ALS transport capability, closely comparable in service offering and customer base.
• Easton Emergency Squad: Regional EMS provider and mutual aid partner offering BLS and ALS support across Northampton County. Directly comparable as a paid-career EMS organization supplementing volunteer fire service in the Lehigh Valley.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DeweyFireCompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/deweysocialclub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dewey-fire-co

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dewey Fire Company #1