Emergency Services
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Services are provided to all 67 municipalities by full-time and part-time police departments, Pennsylvania State Police, University Police, Railroad Police, State Park Rangers, and County Sheriff's Department, based off location and jurisdiction.
Fire Service
Fire Protection is provided to all 67 municipalities by 104 volunteer fire stations in the County. The tradition of the volunteer fire service in the county extends back to 1829 and 1930 to the oldest fire companies in the county, Friendship Fire Company of Orwigsburg and Humane Fire Company #1 of Pottsville. The services within the county are dependent on maintaining a group of volunteers to not only fight fires and response to many other emergencies,; but, also raise much of the funding necessary to purchase and maintain apparatus and equipment. Volunteers are always in need and welcome to join your local fire station.
Emergency Medical Services
Emergency Medical Services are provided to all 67 municipalities by both full-time and volunteer ambulance services. The services within the county provide both Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) to each of the communities within the county. The services are assigned as determined by the local municipal government.
Emergency Management
As required by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code, 35 Pa. C. S. each municipality must recommend an Emergency Management Coordinator. Each Coordinator is appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania and serves until a successor is recommended by the municipality.
The local coordinator is a key figure in setting the emergency preparedness of the community. The coordinator may establish an EMA staff to assist during disasters, interfaces with the emergency services, provides updates to the county in order to maintain situational awareness, coordinates with local resources to provide sheltering operations, provides public notification and warnings, conducts damage assessments and maintains the municipal emergency operations plan.
Support Organizations
CART
The Schuylkill County Animal Response Team (Schuylkill CART) is a volunteer organization dedicated to assisting the community, emergency services and Schuylkill County Emergency Management by providing emergency shelter and rescue to animals in times of disaster, both natural and man made.
The team is organized under the rules and guidance established by the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team. Follow this link to learn more about Schuylkill CART by clicking here.
For more information about the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team (PA SART), click this link.
Amateur Radio
Emergency service is one of the basics of the Amateur Radio Service and there is sometimes confusion about ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services), the ARRL arm of emergency services and RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service), the government arm of amateur emergency services. Schuylkill County relies on a group of dedicated and skilled individuals who comprise our ARES/RACES team and provide the backbone of our Auxiliary Communications Network.
If you are interested in participating, or finding out more about the vital link that amateur radio provides in an emergency, please contact Robert McClintock, the ARES/RACES contact for Schuylkill County. He can be reached at: n3rzi@yahoo.com.
Below is information about local amateur groups organized in Schuylkill County and the Amateur Radio Relay League.
The Schuylkill Amateur Repeater Association (SARA) website can be accessed by clicking here.
The Tamaqua Wireless Association (W3TWA) website can be accessed by clicking here.
The ARRL Eastern Pennsylvania Section (EPA) can be accessed by clicking here.