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October 8, 2008

Township ponders fire truck options

By Nancy Lowry

Buying a new fire truck without increasing taxes is uniting North Beaver Township residents.

About 40 of them attended the supervisor’s meeting last night to ask questions and offer suggestions. Supervisor chairman Bill Shiderly invited them back to the Nov. 3 meeting to continue discussions.

“It is not a done deal yet that we will purchase a new truck or that taxes will be increased,” he said.

In July, township volunteer firefighters told the supervisors they need a new, $507,000 fire truck to replace a 1988 truck housed in the Mount Jackson fire station.

Since then the firefighters, who include fire chief Paul Henry, who also is a supervisor, have recalculated. They now are considering a $464,000 fire/rescue/tanker truck that they believe will meet the department’s needs.

Former township supervisor Robert McKenny, noting the uncertain current financial condition of the township, the United States and the world said a $250,000 truck will meet safety needs.

“If our taxes go up, there will be an uprising in the township,” McKinley said.

Residents William Gwin and Ray Eckles recommended refurbishing the existing truck, but Henry said it has been rebuilt once already.

The truck rolled over in an accident in 1992. At that time, damaged parts of the truck were rebuilt, repaired or replaced, Henry said.

He said he will contact Fire Force of Mars, Pa., to determine whether the truck can be refurbished again and what it would cost. However, the 20-year-old vehicle is 26,000 miles past its life expectancy. It needs a new pump, it does not meet current fire safety codes, and only two firefighters can ride in its cab.

The cab in a new vehicle could ride five firefighters. This is a plus, Henry said, since it would get more firefighters to a scene and reduce the number of private vehicles there.

Shiderly noted that a 0.4-mill fire tax generates about $67,000. Half of that goes to the department for administration and to maintain its stations and equipment, he said, and half goes into a new truck fund. That account has about $109,000 in it.

The fire tax is based on property assessment. On a property assessed at $100,000, the owner pays $40 per year.

Fire department president Tina Marshall said the department has about $75,000 that it could make available toward a new truck. She said fund-raising efforts are continuing but slow.

She noted that 1,400 letters requesting donations were mailed last month to township residents. Typically, the department gets 400 responses. Three fish dinners, a braised steak dinner and ox roast yielded only $11,000, she said.

The department also is seeking grants through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and there is no way to determine how much the department will receive.

The department has obtained previous grants and currently receives $10,000, at no cost to the township. That money is being used to add a bay to the Mount Jackson fire station.

Shiderly said the supervisors have considered doubling the fire tax temporarily, “long enough to pay for the fire truck,” but he does not want to bankrupt the fire department.

The supervisors will meet in special session later this month to plan the township’s 2009 budget. Tax option will be considered at that time, he said, adding, “No one wants to raise taxes.”

Henry noted that the department currently has 60 active volunteers and has responded to 222 alarms so far this year. On average, the township answers 320 calls per year, he said.

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