Lloydsville Fire Department officer steps into Unity Township emergency management role

A longtime member and officer of the Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department is the new emergency management coordinator for Unity Township.

The township supervisors on Thursday appointed Tom Schultheis Jr. to the coordinator post. Schultheis is the water rescue lieutenant for his fire department,

Pete Tenerowicz, who had served as the local emergency management coordinator for 35 years, resigned in January but agreed to continue in the role until his replacement was named. Tenerowicz said he decided to retire from the job because of family obligations. He intends to remain active with the Crabtree Volunteer Fire Department, where he has been a member for 51 years.

Supervisors Chairman John Mylant said Schultheis, one of four applicants, was recommended for the coordinator post by the township fire bureau — a central organization that provides coordination and some shared equipment for Unity’s eight volunteer fire departments.

While working in his additional capacity as a township roadmaster, Mylant said, he’s often seen Schultheis responding on a fire call.

“He’s always out on a call,” Mylant said. “He’ll be a good, strong employee.”

Schultheis, who owns Beaver Tree Service, has served with the Lloydsville fire department for nearly 38 years, including a previous stint as a captain, and helped organize a Westmoreland County water rescue team.

He said his interest in local firefighting and “doing whatever I could to give back to the community” prompted him to seek the emergency management position. Another factor was his long acquaintance with Tenerowicz.

“I’ve know Pete most of the years I’ve been in the fire service,” Schultheis said. “Anytime there was a disaster or anything like that, obviously, I’m there with the fire department.

“I was interested in stepping into that position to keep his legacy going, because Pete has done a remarkable job over the years in building up the emergency management system.”

When acting as the emergency management coordinator, Schultheis will be based at the township’s emergency operations center near Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The position comes with an annual $3,300 retainer.

The supervisors named Chris Kondrich as a deputy emergency management coordinator, an unpaid position.

Kondrich, who also was recommended by the township fire bureau, is a member of the Marguerite Volunteer Fire Department. He retired in December as a member of the township road crew, with more than 20 years of service.

Moe Haas, fire chief at the airport, serves as an additional deputy emergency management coordinator for the township.

“We have two deputies, so if one is out of town, we always have someone in place,” Mylant said.