Picnic still underway at Dauphin County fire station closed due to racism

A white banner promoting Bressler's Friendship Fire Company's annual picnic stretches across the lawn of Swatara Township Commissioner Michael Tuckey's business, large enough for passing cars to read the sign .

The banner may seem innocuous, but it immediately sparked questions and controversy.

Why is a fire station that was shut down by the city over allegations of bullying and racism still holding a fundraiser? What will they do with the money? And why was a city commissioner advertising it?

Additionally, another commissioner noted that the giant sign violated the township's sign ordinance.

The unrest represents the culmination of problems that have plagued the Swatara Municipality and the fire company for years.

Swatara Township recently voted 3-0 to remove Bressler's Friendship Fire Company from the township's fire department after complaints of racial discrimination and an open investigation by the state attorney general's office into the allegations. Chair Shaela Ellis, Vice Chair Shane Steele and Commissioner Thomas Connolly all voted in favor of eliminating the fire company, while Commissioners Christine Zubeck and Tuckey abstained from the vote, saying they had need more time to review complaints. Tuckey wanted to wait until the attorney general's investigation was complete, but his decision was overruled.

The township also voted to overturn a motion asking PennDOT to allow the fire company to promote its annual picnic on a banner hanging above a state highway, a decision Tuckey later called “mean-minded “.

This banner is now the one that sits on the lawn of Tuckey's business. He didn't have a permit to put it there, but one is required because of its size.

Robert Ihlein, planning and zoning director, said he went to the business on May 31 to inform the owner, Tuckey, that the banner was too large according to the zoning code and that he had to apply for a permit if he wanted to install it. on the side of the building. Tuckey had five business days to comply, the standard for the township, which was June 7. The picnic will take place on June 9 at Cibort Park, located behind the fire station.

“I put the banner there simply because I believe they [the fire company] deserves the right, like any citizen, to due process,” Tuckey said. “Because of that, I’m OK with a sign out front. This is a great community event every year, and the company has been protecting the community for 104 years.

But Commissioner Connolly disputed the banner and its explanation.

“He's promoting a picnic for a place determined to have a policy of racial exclusion by the board of commissioners that he's on,” Connolly said. “Basically, he doesn’t follow any rules and he’s a canton commissioner.”

The vote to sever ties with the fire station means the town no longer provides any financial support. Swatara Township also removed a fire truck and van from the Friendship Fire Company because they are owned by the township.

The fire company, which operates as a nonprofit, owns the building, land records show, and maintains control of the property, which is typical of volunteer fire departments across the state.

Fire officials did not respond to PennLive's repeated attempts for comment, including a visit to the fire station. Proceeds from the picnic will be donated to the fire company, but it's unclear how they will use the money raised. The money could cover costs associated with the building like heating and cooling, or it could cover maintenance or whatever the fire department or social club wants.

It's unclear whether they plan to continue the annual picnic in future years and other fundraisers, or what their ultimate plans are for the property. It's also unclear whether they will be able to continue operating as a tax-exempt nonprofit when firefighting and public protection are no longer part of their duties.

According to a 2022 tax filing, the fire department is a nonprofit organization, but under a more specialized classification. Fire departments are tax-exempt under a category that specifies that a nonprofit organization is operated “exclusively to promote social welfare,” according to the IRS.

A PennLive reporter visited the social club a block from the fire station Tuesday afternoon to try to get answers. The social club bar was open and serving three customers inside. The bartender said it was his first day and he couldn't answer questions. He also said there were no officials or anyone else on site who could answer questions.

The Sunday picnic is free and includes games for children, picnic food for purchase and raffles. Several residents spoke at the commissioners' meeting Wednesday, which lasted three hours, to voice their support for the picnic.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a picnic,” one resident said. “I hope we can heal.” The divisions within this board – it wasn't that way and it doesn't have to be that way anymore.

Commissioners' meetings have been very contentious over the past six months. Their meetings last hours, attract dozens of residents who speak during public comments and accumulate thousands of views on the town's Facebook page.

Township votes are typically split 3-2 on issues and commissioners sometimes attack each other and make pointed remarks to residents in the audience, all while trying to move business forward.

The Bressler Fire Company was brought up again at Wednesday's meeting.

“There’s no negativity that would cause me to change my vote because it’s the Bressler Fire Company,” Connolly said at the meeting. “So many good people in Bressler have reported a situation that has bothered them for years.”

Tuckey said, once again, he believed the situation was not being handled by ownership and that he wished the township would have waited.

The problem is likely to drag on forever. The attorney general's full investigation could take years. This is the second time the prosecutor has investigated the same fire station. In the meantime, the fire department and social club are free to continue operating as a private entity and possibly host the picnic.

“If the attorney general's report is completed and someone did something wrong, those people should be held accountable,” Tuckey said. “There is nothing proven. We simply didn't have all the information we needed to make the decisions we do.

Connolly, however, said Tuckey stormed out of a meeting about the investigative process and “never gave a plan or advice” on how to handle the situation.

“There’s a reason it hasn’t moved for two years,” Connolly said. “It shows how egregious it is when a commissioner puts a sign on his business.”

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