An overseas education in Wyoming County turns two men from the UK into volunteer firefighters

The two Englishmen’s passion for firefighting started in Factoryville; nearly two decades later, they're back to see their old crew.

Author: Jack Culkin
Published: 10:37 PM EDT April 12, 2026
Updated: 10:37 PM EDT April 12, 2026

FACTORYVILLE, Pa. — Many volunteer fire departments rely on members who've grown up in their community.

But for the Factoryville Fire Company in Wyoming County, some helping hands came from across the pond.

"We just said, 'Oh, so how's the fire service work here?' Then, he said, ' Oh, it's all volunteer.' We were like, could we volunteer? And he was like, yeah. And so we did," said Former Factoryville Volunteer Fire Fighter Alex Boirand.While playing soccer and pursuing a degree at Keystone College in 2007, Alex Boirand and Jamie Ellis of England became volunteer firefighters.

"It was something I always wanted to do when I was younger is be a fireman when we before we came over here. So coming to college and then having seen it, we had an opportunity to do it here," said Former Factoryville Volunteer Fire Fighter Jamie Ellis.

Nearly two decades later, the two men came back for an alumni soccer game at their alma mater and to take a quick tour of a newer factoryville fire station.

"It makes us feel proud, well, it makes me feel proud like coming back here, seeing, you know, the new station, it's how much it's grown, the engines, the kit they've got here, it's, it's phenomenal. It was never in my path of what I thought I was going to do, becoming a firefighter, and it was joining here that I realized this is something that I, I love to do, being able to help people," said Boirand.

Ellis became a U.S. citizen and now lives in York County.

Boirand graduated and headed back home, where a newfound love of firefighting came with him.

"And, um, when I went home to England after I graduated, it was like, I'm going to set my sights on, you know, becoming a, a firefighter, becoming a full-time firefighter back home and. Yeah, it's been a journey and I'm absolutely loving it now, so. Yeah, 13 years back home as a firefighter, a few years here," said Boirand.

An Isle of Wight fire and rescue service plaque now sits inside the station; in a way, it shows how the impact of a volunteer in one community can sometimes spread across the globe.

Credit to WNEP 16