Fire, EMS renewal levy on ballot for Carlisle Township

Carlisle Township voters are deciding whether to renew a fire and EMS levy that covers several of the Carlisle Township Fire Department’s expenses.

The levy covers the firefighters’ pay, training, equipment and operations.

Taxes would not go up if the renewal levy passes Nov. 3.

Homeowners would continue to pay $71.41 annually per $100,000 valuation of their home, which generates about $417,697 a year.

Recently, money from the levy was used to purchase a new truck which has since been put into service.

“We got the truck back in June from the 2015 levy funds, and it’s a 2020 fire truck,” said fire Chief Steve Higgins.

The fire department employs five people full time and about 20 people who work part time and are paid per call.

LifeCare Ambulance provides transportation services for the fire department, however, Carlisle is a first responder service.

There were discussions about proposing more money for fire and EMS due to rising costs, but officials said they decided against it because they knew this year’s novel coronavirus pandemic presented financial challenges for many homeowners.

“With everything going on in the economy and society, we felt a renewal levy would be best,” Higgins said.

The levy will help the expenses of the Carlisle Township Fire Department greatly as the sanitizing and training firefighters undergo was made increasingly complex by the pandemic, he said.

Firefighters used to have one training session three times per month, but it was broken into two training sessions twice per month to keep the staff socially distant.

“It’s definitely cost us more to operate this way,” Higgins said. “The levy is our lifeline. It covers pretty much everything.”

Other expenses have risen recently, including equipment costs and maintenance fees, but Higgins said he is confident the renewal will be all they need.

“The residents have always been supportive of our department,” he said. “I’d like to thank them for that.”