New
Employees
The start of 2019 brought great additions to the North Strabane Fire Department. In total we have
added 6 new employees to the department. Rick Opfermann, Trevor Colwes, and Joe Gubash were
promoted to Full Time from our Part Time staff thanks to a Grant from The Department of Homeland
Security. Ryan Hess, Alex Bolea and Mike Kauer were hired on to fill the Part Time vacancies.
Welcome Aboard Gentleman!
RICK OPFERMANN
Rick is a graduate of
Peters Township High
School and has a degree in
Business Administration.
He Joined the North
Strabane Fire Department
in August 2014 as a
Volunteer Fire Fighter.
Rick was hired as a part
time Fire Fighter in May
of 2017 and as a full time
Fire Fighter in January
2019. He currently holds
the certifications of Fire
Fighter II and EMT-B. On
the Rescue side of the Fire Service he has earned certifications in
Vehicle Rescue, Rope Rescue, Ice Rescue and Swift Water Rescue
as a Surface Water Technician I and II. With his certification
as a Scuba Diver, Rick is contributing to the development
of a Dive Team for the North Strabane Fire Department.
Prior to his employment at North Strabane Fire Department
Rick’s background was in construction along with Business
Development, Ownership and Operation. He is an avid swimmer,
cyclist, runner and weight lifter as well as a Personal Trainer. Rick
has been instrumental in the development of a physical fitness
program for the Fire Fighters of North Strabane. Rick is married
to his wife Shari and they have been residents of North Strabane
for the past 25 years.
TREVOR COLWES
Trevor Colwes, 33, is
a married father of two.
Trevor graduated in
2004 from Mt. Lebanon
High School. In 2007, he
joined the Mt. Lebanon
Fire Department as a
volunteer and served for
six years and subsequently
obtained his EMT
certification in 2010. In
April 2017, he joined the
North Strabane Township
Volunteer Fire Department.
54
NORTH STRABANE
After serving nearly two years as a volunteer, on January 1st,
2019 Trevor began working full-time as a career Firefighter/EMT
with the North Strabane Township Fire Department. Trevor is
an avid Penguins fan and enjoys playing ice hockey, skiing and
hiking when he is not spending time with his family. His interest
within the department include firefighting tactics, vehicle rescue
and swift water rescue. “I am very excited and fortunate to be
working in a great department with outstanding firefighters
and officers. I’m also looking forward to expanding my role and
knowledge as a career firefighter and the opportunity to serve
this community.”
JOE GUBASH
Hi everyone, my name
is Joe. I am 30 years old
and have been in the
fire service for almost
13 years. I am a third
generation firefighter. I
grew up in Washington
County, graduated from
Beth Center in 2007.
Shortly after I moved to
Allegheny County where
I live with my wife Laura,
my daughter Kaylea and
my son Klayton. This Job
has been a passion of mine
since the very beginning and now that I can make a career out
of it is the best feeling in the world. I am excited to begin this
journey with the Township, I can’t wait to see what the future
holds