Lancaster Township Fire Department

10/11/2026

2026 𝙁𝙐𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙍𝙄𝙑𝙀

When a 911 call goes out – any hour of the day or night – the dedicated volunteers of the Lancaster Township Fire Department drop what they’re doing to respond. Each year, they answer around 500 emergency calls, providing swift, skilled help when it matters most.

Now, as we look ahead, we’re asking for your support in our 2026 Annual Fund Drive. Click the link to donate online.

Lancaster Township provides essential operating support for the fire department, but your donations make the difference – allowing us to go beyond the basics with advanced equipment, specialized training, and support services that keep our volunteers safe and prepared.

We’ve already invested in new protective gear and revised response protocols to reduce risk to our firefighters. And unlike some neighboring communities that rely on paid departments, Lancaster Township continues to be protected by volunteers who give anywhere from 6 to 60 hours a month.

Emergencies don’t stop – house fires, car accidents, and severe weather continue to impact lives around the clock. Our team remains ready to respond, but we can’t do it without your help.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the Township Fire Department in 2026. Your generosity helps ensure our volunteers can continue to protect the people in places you care about.

At Lancaster Township Fire Department, we know that change starts with people like you. Every act of kindness, every dollar, and every moment of your time…

10/07/2026

At 10:47 AM today, Wednesday, October 7, two vehicles collided at the intersection of Abbeville Road and Elm Avenue, causing one vehicle to overturn.
An occupant of the red vehicle was briefly trapped upside down in the car, restrained by the seatbelt.
Lancaster Township PD, Lancaster EMS, Penn Med 1, and Lancaster City Squad 64-1 assisted Lancaster Township Firefighters.

09/25/2026

September 25 marks the 15th anniversary of Lt. Keith Rankin’s LODD.
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Rankin, a lieutenant with Lancaster Township Fire Department, died Sunday, September 25, 2011, after collapsing during a training exercise in West Lampeter Township.
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Several of the 25 county firefighters on hand for the exercise performed CPR and other life-saving techniques, but Rankin, 38, never regained consciousness, Usdin said. He was pronounced dead at Lancaster General Hospital.
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Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said that Rankin's death appeared to be from natural causes.
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Glenn Usdin, Lancaster Township's deputy chief, said Rankin had been running the "live burn" drill at the Lancaster County Fire School on Village Road. He was talking with some firefighters when he collapsed around 10:30 a.m., according to Usdin.
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"There was no sense that anything was wrong," Usdin said. "He literally collapsed without a word of warning."
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Keith Rankin was a big man.
A real "teddy bear of a guy" who constantly did for others.
For his fellow firefighters, that's the tough part.
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"He would do absolutely anything for anyone, and in the end, when it was our turn to do something for him, we couldn't," Glenn Usdin said. "We were helpless."
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Lt. Keith Rankin was 38 years old and had served his community for 23 years with the Lancaster Township Fire Department. Keith had
been an assistant chief in the past and had again achieved the rank of lieutenant.
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Keith also was named Firefighter of the Year after res­cuing a woman from a fire at the Lancaster County Racquetball Club on Millersville Pike.
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Keith loved to teach other firefighters how to be better firemen. He also worked as a Pennsylvania State Constable.

09/22/2026

09/13/2026

Lancaster Township Fire Department is attending another Community Event at The Riverside Club for Grandparents Day!

08/27/2026

On Monday, August 24, firefighters participated in a refresher class covering the setup of the tower for a remote rescue using the Stokes basket.
Firefighters rescued two patients who were below grade in the station’s retention basin. The first patient was packaged in the Stokes basket, which was within reach of the tower's boom and could be easily lifted. The second patient was beyond reach and needed to be packaged and transferred to the tower for pickup.

08/25/2026

LTFD Volunteers responded to a vehicle fire today, August 25, at 2:17 PM at Hamilton Arms Nursing Home, 336 South West End Ave. in Lancaster Township.
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Additional information provided was that an ambulance was on fire under the EMS bay. Flames were visible from under the driver’s seat of Ambulance 210, a 2017 Ford E-450 from the Select Ambulance Medical Transportation Company headquartered in Reading, PA.
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Upon arrival of Engine 66-1, the ambulance was outside the EMS bay, and the fire had been extinguished with a dry-chemical extinguisher by an EMS crew member.
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Firefighters depowered the ambulance and checked for extension under the rig. The fire damage was contained underneath the driver’s seat and did not extend to the rest of the ambulance.