Harriton Sophomore is Bryn Mawr Family's Youngest Firefighter

One day when Michael Dibattista-Maratea was 5, he smelled smoke. He looked outside, saw his neighbor’s house was on fire, and woke up his dad.

His father asked him to call 9-1-1 and wait in the shared driveway between the two homes. He waited there as his father, who wasn’t a fireman, rescued an older woman from the house next door.

“The fire department came, and it was pretty insane,” Dibattista-Maratea said. “It was cool to see, so my dad kind of inspired me, really.”

So it’s not a stretch that Dibattista-Maratea, now 16 and a sophomore at , is ’s youngest volunteer firefighter.

Dibattista-Maratea grew up in Bryn Mawr, riding his bike past the station before he became a firefighter there. For a time, he lived in Kingston, N.Y., before moving back to Bryn Mawr. 

Dibattista-Maratea’s grandfather, Tom Sadlier, Jr., was an engineer at the Bryn Mawr Fire Co. for more than 25 years, and his uncle, Tommy Sadlier, has also been a Bryn Mawr firefighter.

January marks Dibattista-Maratea’s third year volunteering with the Bryn Mawr Fire Co., and he said he loves helping people in his community. He said he especially enjoyed visiting with the fire company’s annual visit, and added that the event, where they offered fire truck rides, was also great to see.

Dibattista-Maratea said he enjoys seeing his community members and said they give back to the fire company by giving them donations and bringing them cookies. 

“It’s a nice feeling,” he said. “We’re volunteers, and we’re their neighbors. So I’d like to say thank you to them.”

Dibattista-Maratea can’t go into a burning building until he’s 18, so he hooks up the engine to fire hydrants on scene, lays hose lines and gets tools for the older firefighters. 

“It’s about teamwork—everyone’s job is important,” Dibattista-Maratea said. “I want to do it my whole life, so it might turn into a career. It’s what I love doing… There’s not really anything not to like.”

When Dibattista-Maratea isn’t volunteering as a firefighter, he is an officer of the Future Business Leaders of America club at Harriton, works at the , enjoys cooking and baking, and is looking forward to fixing up a Toyota Camry he just bought.