2 More Hempfield Fire Companies Begin Process of Transferring to Township Management

Dave Ciarkowski, captain and president of the Grapeville Fire Department, looks forward to returning his focus to the work of responding to emergency calls.

His station is one of two that recently submitted letters of interest to become “non-accredited” under the Hempfield Township Fire Department.

Once the Grapeville and Adamsburg fire departments complete the process, the township will take over management and expenses for both fire stations.

They would join North Hempfield, the township's only unlicensed station; and fire stations in Fort Allen and Midway-St. Clair, which are currently in the process of filing paperwork to become unlicensed after submitting letters of interest earlier this year.

“They're basically going to take care of the bills – all that financing and the bills you don't have to pay – and we're back to what we should be doing,” Ciarkowski said.

“Like any other ministry, we have to constantly try to get funding, whether it’s a fish fry, some kind of dance or whatever. That, and membership is always a major problem because we have to run membership drives. It takes a lot off your plate.

Fire companies have shown increased interest in coming under township management since leaders held a public meeting in March to discuss the future of firefighting in the area.

“This is an exciting time for Hempfield,” said Fire Chief Anthony Kovacic. “I think the best way for volunteer firefighters to survive in the township is to try to reduce that financial burden and reduce planning. I think it's something that you're going to see continue to evolve in a very positive direction.

According to Kovacic, two other stations are also in the initial stages of negotiations to become non-licensed stations.

“I think that at the end of this meeting, we benefited from a positive dynamic, which continues,” he declared. “That was in March, and here we are in July, and things are definitely moving in a very positive direction. »

For Ken Wees, president of the Adamsburg Fire Department, not having to worry about the tedious fundraising process will be a relief.

“It’s basically running a business on top of running responses,” he said. “All this burden will be absorbed by the municipality – they will be responsible for everything.”

Move forward

The municipality hired four part-time paid drivers to supplement the work of volunteer firefighters during daylight hours, when fewer volunteers are available.

Kovacic said the paid driver program, which operates out of North Hempfield and department headquarters, is progressing.

“One of the things we're really emphasizing is that we're increasing our volunteer staff – we're just trying to help out in a time here where it's difficult for us to put teams together. It works very well,” he said.

Kovacic hopes to have the four fire stations that are transitioning to “100 percent” management fully vacated by the end of the year. Beyond that, while continuing to push for the municipal management process, the Hempfield Fire Department wants to focus on training, he said. They are working to set up a dedicated training area in the newly renovated North Hempfield fire station.

“In the fire service, every call is different, so we really have to be able to handle not only structure fires, but very technical rescues and rescue issues, vehicle collisions that require rescue capabilities , rope work, hazardous materials, things of that nature. ,” he said. “There are a lot of different things that we have to prepare for, and I think going forward we're going to emphasize training capabilities.”

The department also plans to build new fire stations in the planned Weatherwood Park complex and in the western part of the township.

“Many projects are moving forward and many plans are underway to achieve a situation where emergency services are located in the most suitable area for deployment,” he said.

Community Link

For Grapeville and Adamsburg, which both sent their cover letters in May, it's critical to stay connected to the community even after achieving unlicensed firehouse status. Many fire stations host community holiday events and interact with local schools to teach fire safety.

“As volunteers, we want to be able to connect to the community we protect,” Wees said. “That was one of the questions we asked the municipality: 'Can we still maintain this connection?' » They agreed to keep this discussion open. Obviously this sort of thing should be discussed in more depth, but they understood the need for us to do so. »

Ciarkowski noted that Grapeville's regular community events — Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Christmas with Santa, Halloween and meet-and-greets with first responders — are elements of that community connection.

“Over the past few years, we have rebuilt the relationship with the community,” he said. Since 2019, the station has grown from four active members to 15. “That's part of what we want to negotiate to keep all of this going. »

Wees hopes firefighters and stations will continue to have a say during the consolidation process.

“We want to be active,” he said. “I have always said that if volunteers are involved in the process, there will be much less resistance, because we have some responsibility and some involvement in the game.”