Elected officials should think twice before cutting fire and ambulance funds

Elected officials have to stop the age old practice of placing their own value on the cost of fire and ambulance services.

Each fire and ambulance company tends to service an average of 5-8 municipalities or boroughs each. Each company tends to have one or two municipalities that somehow justify underfunding the requested amount each year and that has to stop immediately, especially for volunteer companies.

The special thing with the volunteer fire community is that they just don’t just save lives and personal property. They sacrifice money out of their own pocket to buy their own equipment, gas to drive to and from the fire company, and most importantly they sacrifice time away from their family without getting paid. And don’t forget about the training, hours upon hours of training and certifications so that when they do respond they are at their best.

Finding and retaining volunteers is becoming increasingly difficult. What will municipalities and boroughs do when their volunteer fire company has to become a fully paid one? How much do you think that will cost you then?

Let me tell you, your annual contribution could skyrocket from $10,000 or $50,000 per year up to $1,000,000. Salary, pension, and benefits for each person are a huge expense.

It is the legal responsibility of the municipalities and boroughs to supply these emergency services to their residents. The fire companies DO NOT legally have to do what they do. Some elected officials today act as if the fire companies are an expense they can just negotiate with, or arbitrarily justify paying something less.

The cumulative negative effect that attitude is having on our very own region is seriously hurting us all. The monies that these companies are shorted are made up by pulling from long term capital plans, pushing much needed purchases off and denying our local volunteers the equipment they need to do their job. And the stress of all the negativity these volunteers have to deal with is getting old.

I am of the opinion that any community that does not pay the requested amount from their fire or ems company should not receive service. Let these communities’ “leaders” find a different service or form their own company. If you are an elected official and do not agree with the amount that is being requested, deal with it in a respectful and responsible manner.

Form an ad hoc committee with your regional partners and work out the issues together, stop disrespecting and demoralizing our shared emergency services.

The West Grove Fire Company communities recently formed an Ad Hoc committee and it was extremely productive. In the coming months I will be putting out an effort to bring together the Medic 94 region to review and discuss this very issue. I hope all municipalities and boroughs will be participating, especially those who do not fund.

Thank you to all emergency services and law enforcement who serve our communities. I am proud to serve on the Board of Supervisors in London Grove, a community that respects and values your service. Dave Connors London Grove

Thanks to Costello for supporting cause

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