A few Hempfield firefighters got their questions answered at a department meeting on Saturday.
Others left wanting more information.
During the fire forum on Saturday, township officials aimed to address concerns, answer uncertainties about the state of the fire department, and explain the “all-in” process, which allows individual stations to choose to come under the department’s control.
The meeting was part of the township's efforts to encourage more of the department’s 10 stations to become “nonchartered” — where a fire station goes under the direct management of the township in exchange for the township paying all of their expenses.
Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Department is the most recent of Hempfield’s 10 departments to take steps toward becoming nonchartered, following Midway-St.Clair and North Hempfield in moving under the township’s management umbrella.
For the seven stations that remain, and for Fort Allen and Midway-St.Clair themselves, which are still in the early stages of managing the transition, the meeting provided an opportunity to gather more information about the process and talk to board and department officials directly.
“In all the years that I’ve been here, we have worked to make the fire service something that will endure, and we have provided all the necessary resources to make your mission work,” said township Supervisor Doug Weimer.
“I hope this morning’s events will confirm the township’s dedication to the volunteer fire service, and our goal, with your support, to provide emergency response to the Hempfield community for years to come,” fellow Supervisor Bill Bretz said.
Process of joining
The procedure for becoming nonchartered has 15, Township Manager Aaron Siko explained to the firefightersIt usually takes about six to eight months overall. He emphasized that it’s not “all or nothing” and said the township does not intend to force departments to join.
The noncharter process begins with a station creating a letter of intent. The details are discussed between the township and the joining fire station through meetings. They then move on to hold station votes on final approval and complete legal paperwork to transfer fire station assets to the township.
For stations that operate fire company clubs or own other properties, things get slightly more complicated.
Siko mentioned that the township does not want to be in charge of operating fire clubs for liability reasons. So if a station with a fire club were to go all-in, that fire club would eventually need to switch to a different building and be run through a nonprofit format, or shut down altogether.
“Ultimately, our (goal) is to separate fire operations from business operations such as a club,” Siko said.
He stressed that the township does not want to eliminate the individual character of stations.
“Becoming a nonchartered station is not the loss of identity, it is not the loss of community,” Siko said. “It’s becoming a part of the Hempfield Fire Department as one sole entity, and certainly, finding a way to improve the way we serve the community overall.”
"We know that all of you have many years of service, and we respect that. We want to make sure that your identity and the identity of the Hempfield Fire Department remains the same even after the acquisition," he said.
Firefighters are thinking about the future.
Some members of the fire company still had concerns after the meeting.
Many asked about the details of the upcoming plans, like the two new fire stations that the township plans to build. One will be near Weatherwood Park in the eastern-central part of the township, and the other will be in the western part of the township.
"We're definitely not fully committed," said Greg Saunders, Executive Officer of Bovard Volunteer Fire Department. "We are determined not to go all-in unless we're forced to do so."
"We got some questions answered today, but there are still a lot of things they don't know," said Jennifer Weyandt of the Grapeville Volunteer Fire Department.
Grapeville has a fire hall that is often rented out, and also a post office. She said it's a pressing question what would happen to them if the station fully commits.
"We will discuss it within the station and consider our options before deciding if we want to set up a meeting."
Details about the Stations
Initially, officials planned to focus on the process of becoming nonchartered, but during the meeting, they also shared data and overviews about the current and future state of the fire department.
According to fire Chief Anthony Kovacic, the department responded to more than 2,700 calls last year.
Out of the 2,712 incident calls the department received, 204 were for actual fires, including structure fires, car fires, and brush fires. Kovacic said that's 7.5% of the calls.
Other calls were for false alarms or well-intentioned calls that turned out not to be fires, hazardous conditions like downed wires, and ambulance assists.
The department gets the most calls during the daytime, starting at 7 a.m., which can be difficult as most volunteer firefighters have day jobs, Kovacic said.
"Just like everyone else, many of you have day jobs. When the whistle blows or the pager goes off, you can't be in two places at once," he said.
The officials also discussed the plan to hire four part-time paid fire truck drivers, who would work from township-managed facilities during daylight hours.
The decision to advertise the positions was postponed at a recent township meeting, but will be voted on again this month.
The stations have the highest number of calls with no response during the daytime. Mobilizing enough firefighters in time is also a challenge, according to Kovacic.
The stations are only able to get to a scene in under 12 minutes with four volunteers responding 37% of the time.
"This is a situation that's happening across the state. Years ago, we had shifts. Years ago, the mines and mills were in operation, allowing firefighters to respond during the day or at night," Kovacic said.
The township wishes to continue changing and growing in order to keep up, according to the supervisors.
“We’re attempting to make the best decisions so that we can develop together, and keep this as a part of our community,” Weimer said. “If we don’t evolve, as with any type of evolution, we’re going to go extinct.
“I don’t want the volunteer system to become extinct in this township.”
