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BENNER TOWNSHIP — Volunteer fire companies face many common stressors in funding and staffing. Is there power in numbers when we choose to tackle problems together?
This is the central question being asked by five fire companies in the Nittany Valley area of Center County. They plan to participate in an upcoming free survey by the state’s Ministry of Community and Economic Development.
Like 90% of Pennsylvania’s fire departments, Bellefonte’s Logan and Undine Fire Company, Pleasant Gap Fire Company, Howard Fire Company, and Walker Township Fire Company are all volunteer-run. This means that many are taxpayer-funded and that they are independent organizations operating independently, even though mutual aid agreements between companies are common.
Over the past few decades, volunteer fire company business has become difficult to sustain. Volunteerism has declined. Donations became less credible and many traditional fundraising activities were suspended during his first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tighter requirements, including spending about 180 hours of training before being able to participate in firefighting and rescue missions, hampered recruitment and retention.
For some, including Floyd Wise, who worked in fire and rescue services in Harrisburg and is now a consultant for DCED’s Community Fire Services Support Program, the fire company needs better cooperation between neighborhood departments and more money from local governments. You can solve these challenges by getting more help from .
“The fire company is one of the big games,” Wise said at a meeting with representatives of the Nittany Valley area fire company in August.
A new fire truck these days can cost upwards of $1 million, Wise said, requiring fire companies to budget years ahead to make such a significant purchase.
He added that costs “are only going to get higher.” Wise said local governments will likely soon have to shoulder some of these financial responsibilities, which could mean higher taxes.
Fire companies “have to come together and deal with it,” he said.
In the proposed study, the fire company will collect and submit current operational information, including call volumes, response times, staffing and qualifications, finances, equipment and facility condition.
Wise identifies each company’s inefficiencies, discrepancies in the policies governing them, and makes recommendations for improvement.
Ultimately, the fire company decides whether to adopt the recommendations from the survey. Some delegates at the August meeting expressed interest in cost-cutting measures such as grouping purchases for discounts.
Representatives said economies of scale were an attractive aspect of the partnership, but fire companies were discouraged from “localization,” such as mergers and consolidations, due to logistical challenges and threats to individual company identities. reluctant to consider the more radical possibilities of the plan.
Previous research produced by the DCED program has focused primarily on one municipality, and this case, which includes the townships of Benner, Spring, Marion, Walker, and the Borough of Bellefonte, is unique, Wise said. says Mr.
“Sharing relationships” will be very important to many fire companies, but success will help volunteer fire companies better understand what it takes to be successful within the communities they serve. It can also be obtained from
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