April 29--There's a somber silence here.
Black cloth drapes the front of the Loganville Fire Co., sable ribbons adorn fire bells, memorial signs share messages of loss and honor, and flags are flying at half staff.
"We're remembering our brother," said Ronald McCullough, fire chief of Glen Rock Hose & Ladder Fire Co.
Area firefighters were still reeling on Sunday from the news that one of their own died in the line of duty this weekend.
Rodney Miller, the 45-year-old Loganville fire chief fondly remembered for both his service and his smile, was killed about 12:30 a.m. Saturday while directing traffic on I-83 south near the Glen Rock exit, according to Deputy Coroner Jeffri Goodfellow.
The Seven Valleys resident was directingtraffic for a crash that occurred near exit 8 when he was struck by an SUV driven by a drunk driver, according to state police.
Pennsylvania State Police have charged Matthew Scott Diehl, 32, with homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence and other violations.
The Shrewsbury resident was arraigned Saturday morning and denied bail by District Judge Jeff Joy.
Police said Diehl moved from the left to right lane of I-83 and went around Miller's vehicle, which was parked in the right lane with its emergency lights on. The driver then struck Miller with the passenger side of his white 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer while the fire chief was in the road directing vehicles.
Miller was taken to York Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival due to multiple blunt force trauma, Goodfellow said.
Many people may assume the danger of firefighting is in fighting fires, but that's not the case anymore, McCullough said.
"It's a different world now. We see on the news first responders get hit by drunk drivers, people texting. Firefighters are even taken hostage. The job becomes dangerous as soon as our pagers go off," he said.
Glen Rock Hose & Ladder has been flying its flag at half staff since 3 a.m. Saturday, McCullough said.
"It's very, very depressing. He was a neighboring chief, but he's our brother, too," he said.
During McCullough's 36 years with the company, he answered many fire calls with Miller.
Miller was 16 years old when he joined the Loganville company as a junior firefighter and was elected chief in 2001.
"He was the kind of guy that when you met him, you liked him. He was just a happy-go-lucky, hardworking, dedicated man," McCullough said.
Glen Rock Hose & Ladder, Rescue Fire Co. and Goodwill Fire Co. in Jacobus will be taking shifts this week to support the Loganville department during its time of grief and throughout funeral services Thursday and Friday, fire chiefs said.
Visitation and funeral service information wasn't immediately available Sunday.
Loganville firefighters declined comment on Sunday, as did Miller's family.
But his brothers at local departments praised his legacy and respected his devotion to a dangerous volunteer effort.
"He was a great person, community-oriented. He would do anything for anybody and would stop what he was doing to help somebody else," said Shannon Blevins, fire chief at the Jacobus station.
Blevins knew Miller for more than 20 years and answered several calls with him throughout their neighboring communities.
"He was a good leader. We lost a great guy in the community," he said.
The Jacobus station is flying its flag at half staff, and its signage will soon bear a memorial to Miller.
"There's a somber mood here. There's a loss and a reminder that just going into a burning building isn't where the danger is. It definitely heightens your awareness that the simplest calls can be the most dangerous," Blevins said.
For Darryl Ehrhart, fire chief at Rescue Fire Co. in Dallastown, the tragedy hasn't sunk in yet, he said.
"It's shocking. We were all at a countywide fire chiefs' meeting last week. I still can't believe it," Ehrhart said.
Rescue is also flying its flag at half staff and worked with Loganville on first-alarm fires in Springfield Township.
"He always had a smile on his face. The younger members looked up to him, and the older members admired his enthusiasm," he said.
Firefighters are always aware of the risks -- everything from distracted driving to burning buildings -- but the consequences are never easy to accept, Ehrhart said.
"To have this happen to one of our leaders is really tough. Though it isn't one of ours, it's still one of our own. It's a brotherhood," he said.
It's a brotherhood that extends across the country, according to Jordan Hood, fire captain at Goodwill Fire Co. in York Township.
Hood learned the news Saturday while he was in Indianapolis for a week-long training exercise.
"People read the news and realized we were from York and were offering their sympathy. It's the brotherhood," he said. The last two days have been hard at the York Township station, Hood said.
"When it comes down to it, we were only on a few calls together, but he was still a brother. Guys on call stick together," he said.
Copyright 2013 - The York Dispatch, Pa.
