After decades of sacrifice, Jarrod Emes steps back to reclaim time with his family and business. Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X For years, whenever a crash shut down Interstate 78 in the Hamburg area, the steady voice of Jarrod Emes came over the Berks County emergency airwaves.

“We’re going to divert eastbound traffic through Hamburg,” he’d tell dispatchers. “I need fire police at 29A and at Route 61 at Old 22.” Emes, selected as Hamburg Fire Company’s chief in 2022, had long been the one taking command of major incidents. As deputy chief, he routinely left home or work to spend hours solving emergencies that had nothing to do with either.

Some weeks, he was at the firehouse five nights for meetings and training. “There’s a lot of moving parts to make this all happen, trying to manage 25 volunteers,” he told me this week. “It’s a lot