Bucks Co. Rescue Squad Honored For Nursing Home Fire Response

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA — They were among the first on the scene.

When a gas explosion happened at the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Bristol Township last month, the Bucks County Rescue Squad Medic 143 headed to the Tower Road accident.

"Our community was thrust into a moment of fear, urgency, and heartbreak," U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said. "What followed became one of the largest emergency responses in our community’s history. In those first critical moments, the incredible men and women of BCRS Medic 143 were among the first on scene, without any hesitation."

Fitzpatrick recently named the Bristol Township unit with his weekly "Hometown Heroes" honor.

"When emergencies strike, the safety of a community depends on those trained to bring order to chaos, calm to crisis, and care to the moments that matter most," he said. "That readiness is built long before the call comes in — and tested when every second carries weight. Today, we honor the men and women who embody that calling. Meet this week’s Hometown Heroes: the incredible men and women of Bucks County Rescue Squad Medic 143."

Led by Chief Martin J. Liczbinski, BCRC Medic 143 is comprised of highly trained paramedics and EMTs — both staff and volunteers — who provide advanced life support ambulance and rescue services to Bristol Borough and Bristol Township around the clock — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

"That day, they entered an unstable, hazardous environment to assess, triage, and treat patients under conditions that demanded both speed and precision," Fitzpatrick said. "Every decision carried consequence, every action demanded skill, and their meticulous, disciplined care was truly heroic and lifesaving."

While he honored the BCRC Medic 143, Fitzpatrick also extended his deepest gratitude to the staff of the Silver Lake Nursing Home, to the entire First Responder community who answered the call that day, and to the nurses, doctors, and medical professionals at Lower Bucks Hospital, whose compassion and care brought healing in the midst of heartbreak.

Three people died in the Dec. 23 gas explosion.

"What Medic 143 demonstrated at Silver Lake was emergency medicine at its highest standard —technical excellence guided by humanity," Fitzpatrick said. "This tragedy will forever be part of our community’s story — but so will the courage, professionalism, and resolve of those who answered the call. In that moment, BCRC Medic 143 did what they had trained to do. They were ready."

(U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick)