Cranberry Volunteer Fire Company earns national safety award
Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company garnered national recognition on Thursday for its commitment to safety, teamwork and modernization.
The department was honored with the 2025 VFIS — Firefighter & EMS William Jenaway Illness & Injury Prevention Award at the IAFC-VCOS Section Symposium in the Sun.
Scott Garing, Cranberry’s chief of fire and emergency services, traveled to Clearwater, Fla., to accept the award.
“Through teamwork and effort, anything is possible. This is a true example of that,” Garing said. “A unified team with a unified vision knows no boundaries and can honestly do amazing things. This award recognizes that change isn’t rocket science. It’s simply teamwork.”
The fire company was championed for prioritizing a culture of safety built on proficiency rather than risk avoidance, a shift officials say has created a safer fire ground for both firefighters and the community.
It was also an acknowledgment of the department’s 2023 completion of its long-term strategic plan, which was launched in 2018 to modernize operations.
In addition, the company earned praise for its SAFER, or Standard Actions for Emergency Response, guidelines that “addresses many things that cause firefighter fatalities and injuries and ultimately makes the fire ground safer and more efficient,” according to Garing.
Those guidelines, which were established in 2017, are followed by departments in Cranberry, Harmony, Adams Township, Callery and Evans City.
