On Thursday April 25th, several members from the Thorndale Fire Company and other emergency service agencies traveled to the Downingtown Country Club in support of Fire Police Capt. Ron Miller as he was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Citizen Award by the Downingtown Thorndale Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Ron Miller is a retired school teacher of 35 years. He has resided in Caln Township for the past 33 years with his wife Nancy and has been a volunteer for the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company for the past 12 years. In January of 2007, Mr. Miller walked off the street and into the fire station with no previous experience in emergency services looking for an opportunity to serve the community. A year and a half later he was appointed to Fire Police Lt. and for almost seven years now, Ron has now held the rank of Fire Police Capt.

In his short time in the fire service, Ron has been the President of the Chester County Fire Police Association going on eight years, Co-Chair of the Chester County Incident Mgmt. Task Force, an active member of the Chester County Recruitment and Retention Committee for the volunteer fire service and an active member of the Brandywine Health Foundation Strawberry Festival Planning Committee. Capt. Miller sits on the Thorndale Fire Company Board of Fire Directors… and when needed is part of the team of interviewers for all new police officer candidates for Caln Twp.

Ron is responsible for the planning and logistics of every charity run in Caln Township for at least the past 8 years. He’s part of the planning team for Caln Community Day and assists in planning the National Night Out with the Caln PD. Once all the event planning is over, you can find Ron on the street manning a post and then…when it’s over… tearing everything down.

Ron helps with the logistics of set up, parking and directs traffic control at and around the Strawberry Festival for five very long days every year. Ron is the person CASH calls to help with Prom, graduation, track events, football games and other different events throughout the year. You may have even seen him helping at a Downingtown West football game or still subbing at the high school from time to time.
Ron, although “retired”, has devoted himself tirelessly to the community of Thorndale, Downingtown and residents of Chester County, and is fair to say that Ron is always one of the first people there and one of the last to leave. At the young age of 71, he is the most active first responder at the Thorndale Fire Company, responding to over 200 calls in 2018.

Through Ron’s work with former State Senator John Rafferty, in 2018 the Thorndale Fire Company was awarded a grant for $150,000 which went to replacing a large portion of the parking lot, upgrading all interior and exterior lights to LED’s, a new floor for the engine bay where the apparatus are housed and a new cleaning machine to maintain it.

As the President of the Chester County Fire Police Assoc. Ron was instrumental in acquiring for volunteer fire companies, 13 LED mobile message boards, 15 portable light towers, eight cone trailers and most recently an ATV that is ready to go for any Chester County Fire Police or Fire Company detail when requested. He’s the one that gets the call when the Chester County Balloon Festival needs traffic control and he’s already been contacted about traffic control for the Citadel Country Music festival in August.

Ron has and continues to build bridges across all avenues of emergency services and is one of the top promoters of public safety on the roads in Chester County. He has become famous for saying, “if your feet are in the street, your chest is in a vest” and you may just find him on the bypass reminding the state police. Ron Miller is the embodiment of service above self. At the Fire Company’s annual banquet and awards ceremony this past December, Ron was recognized for, and awarded the Service Award for all his efforts throughout the years. A few months later, he was presented with the 2018 Outstanding Citizenship award by the Caln Township Police Department.

Capt. Miller attributes his success to volunteering at the Thorndale Fire Company which has opened many doors and created many opportunities for him to serve. Had he not walked into the fire station back in January of 2007, many organizations and people’s lives would not be the same, including his own, and he is truly grateful for being able to serve in the capacity afforded to him.

If you would like the opportunity to change people’s live, including your own, please reach out to us at recruitment@thorndalefirecompany.com or contact your local volunteer fire company.