Tim Dierolf has been fighting fires for a long time. Thirty-six years to be exact. So, when his fellow firefighters were choosing this year’s Boyertown Responder of the Year, Dierolf was an obvious choice.
Yet, to Dierolf, the honor came as a complete surprise. “People were talking about it, but since I don’t do the computer, I wasn’t really involved [in the voting process]. It was only when our [firefighter board] president called me in and told me that I was the winner that it sank in,” Dierolf said.
Dierolf, chief engineer at newly created Boyertown Area Fire & Rescue, has been fighting fires since the early age of 16. His career began in the City of Reading, where he stayed with Engine 9 for 21 years, eventually rising to the level of lieutenant. After serving in Reading, Dierolf went on to Station 45 in Fleetwood, where he served as an assistant engineer. He was also in charge of Fleetwood’s ambulance crew.
For the last 13 years, Dierolf has “run” with Boyertown, first with Keystone and now with BAFR. In addition, he works for the PA Bureau of Forestry, where he is deputy chief and chief engineer (mechanic) for Company 81.
Dierolf, 53, admits he finds his first responder role exciting and intense if not, at times, a little overwhelming. When asked how he adjusts to some of the more horrific scenes he sometimes encounters, Dierolf says he adopts a mindset that gets him through.
“I started young and got used to it … not really used to it, but you just get in there and do what you need to do. As far as a firefighter goes, you see someone in a burning building and something happens: you just want to help.”
What he says he appreciates most about his volunteer work is the satisfaction in seeing young people come up through the ranks, working together with the veterans. “I just enjoy seeing people become firefighters for the right reasons,” Dierolf says.
“I like serving the community and getting the satisfaction of actually helping someone, saving property that could’ve been lost, rendering assistance when needed. We’re all working together so that everyone can come home,” he says.
Dierolf has little down time, but when he is not working or fighting fires, he enjoys going to yard sales and flea markets with his wife of 12 years, Donna. He also has a longtime passion for HO trains, a hobby he said he’s enjoyed for as long as he’s been fighting fires.
Dierolf has worked full-time as a fleet service mechanic for LGL Cable Company in Reading, where he has been for the last 13 years. A resident of Sixth Street, Dierolf is the father of two children and three stepchildren.
