The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Pennsylvania Fire Companies Consider Merger
Public Opinion News
WAYNESBORO -- If the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department chooses to purchase the Waynesboro National Guard Armory, the decision will have to come after Nov. 4, the voting date on the consolidation of the two local fire companies, according to Fire Chief Dave Martin.
Always There Hook & Ladder Company of South Potomac Street and Mechanics Steam Engine & Hose Company of Virginia Avenue are voting on the consolidation of their stations through which they would together work as the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department.
"We're contemplating what we're going to do," Martin said Monday. "A consolidation vote is coming up. We would like to know which organization will be in charge of the (armory) project."
Martin was among 10 people who recently visited the armory on Grant Street. For the most part, they liked what they saw.
"The land is between eight to 10 acres. We can use that for carnivals and other events," Martin said. "The building needs some work, but it's in pretty good shape, structurally. It would probably initially be used for fundraising events."
The armory is now being used by Chambersburg's Troop C 2nd Squadron 104th Cavalry, which is part of the 56th Stryker Brigade. The unit is waiting for the completion of its own facility at 1010 Lincoln Way West, which is undergoing a $4.5 million upgrade. It's expected to be finished this year.
When the cavalry moves out of the facility, it will go up for sale.
Waynesboro Borough Council discussed the possible uses of the armory in July. Members initially considered using it for the police department.
Council President Craig Newcomer said: "When we were talking about this merger between the Waynesboro and Washington police departments, we thought this would be a good location for the department."
After looking at the facility, they concluded it would not work for the police department.
Councilman Ronnie Martin then came up with the idea of the property being used for the fire department's carnival, Newcomer said.
With regard to the consolidation effort, Martin said Always There Hook & Ladder Company voted on Oct. 22. The results of the votes are sealed.
The two companies have existed as separate entities since the 1800s, according to Martin. They began talking about consolidation in 1996, when they formed the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department.
It was believed that the two companies could do joint fundraising projects and other joint projects, Martin said.
One of the benefits of the consolidation is that the officers will have one meeting a month, rather then three, according to Martin.
Martin said: "It's getting harder to get people to run for office for all three."
The consolidated relationship means the two companies would do "everything together." Being consolidated administratively would be the final step in the process, according to Martin.
Copyright 2009 Public Opinion
All Rights Reserved
October 28, 2009
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by blair4630 on
-
Also checking in from PA here (Blair County). I also heard something about the fire comissioner pushing for mergers, but can't remember when, who, or how. I agree with the mergers when feasable. We have something like 22 (give or take) departments. There are areas that need those because of the geography, there are other areas that don't. Egos and territory disputes are crazy. I know it's slightly off topic, but in the same vein, and even more feasible, is consolodation of EMS services into county wide systems. They do it down south in many states, and wow, when you take away the territory disputes and focus on providing exceptional care, things improve dramatically. Come to think of it, many southern states also have county wide fire systems. Mmmmm...............
-
Permalink Reply by Harold Richard Hair on
-
I think this is a great idea and i wish the dept. the best luck!! i have tossed the idea around to my officers and some at other stations in my township into doing the same i get laughed at. we have three station 12,28,and 24 all within approx. a 5-7 mile radius i wish we could make it as far as these companys have
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Shaw on
-
Everybody seems to think that mergers will make all the problems go away. That the stronger will overpower the weaker and the new department will be the better for it. What if it is the other way around? What if the problems magnify? What if the negatives are stronger than the positives? I have no first hand experience either way, but have heard many people speak about merging several of our nearby departments, all of which have their own strengths and weaknesses.
I wish these two departments all the best, but I also hope they are very careful when they cast their respective votes.
-
-
Good point to consider. I think one big factor is if the big fish in both small ponds can stand being medium fish in medium ponds.
-
Permalink Reply by Jay Nicholson on
-
A few FD around here have recently voted to combine command staff at this time. This appears to be a step to full consolidation.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/oct/14/el-cajon-la-mesa-jo...
The dept. that opted not to join didn't think they were going to benefit 'enough' from the merger. IMHO they are going to be joining later.
A few years ago 2 of these dept. were looking to merge. The problem at that time was the larger dept. came across as being the savior of the smaller one. That merger didn't happen. The smaller dept. then contracted with another dept which has since ended in a messy divorce.
-
Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
-
I think that, in order for any merger to be successful, we have to bridge the concerns of the taxpayers, in that "bigger" to them means "costs more".
Have you been listening to the news lately?
Everyone is fighting about the role of government getting BIGGER and more costly in our lives.
What we have to show is how merging smaller departments, eliminating redundancy, improving delivery of service and re-energizing the members will SAVE money.
Any perception that many smaller departments will grow into one, giant fire department with deep pockets will be met with opposition.
County fire departments notwithstanding. That form of delivery has been proven to work.
With the fire service, getting "smaller" is a bad thing.
TCSS.
Art
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
