Each time the whistle blows at a local fire company, the dollars are rolling through the roof. It costs money to respond to calls, and fire company officials in Antis Township are hoping the supervisors can do something about it.
At a recent meeting of the supervisors, Melvin Pfahler, chief of the Pinecroft Volunteer Fire Co., asked officials if the township could draw up an ordinance which would allow the fire companies to bill insurance companies for costs associated with the response.
“I think this is something that we really need to take a hard look into,” said Pfahler. “Everything is costing more and more these days and it’s really taking its toll on the companies. That’s why we believe that if you give us the authorization to seek these repayments, we’ll be able to keep our heads above water even longer.”
According to Pfahler, a number of communities have already adopted similar ordinances. He cited Duncansville’s policy as reference, as well as the fire tax agreement that’s in place in Logan Township.
“They do it over there and it seems to work pretty well for them,” he said. “There’s no reason to believe that it wouldn’t work here also. We’re actually behind the times when it comes to this.”
According to Pfahler, Duncansville averages about $500 a month in recovery bills.
“We’ve tried here before to get a fire tax here,” said Pfahler, “but the supervisors kept voting it down.”
Supervisors questioned Pfahler about who would be responsible for the costs. Pfahler was animate that the bill would go directly to an insurance provider rather than the property owner in regards to the call responded to.
“We do not want to put any liability on the people themselves,” said Pfahler. “With an ordinance like this, we’ll have the authority to go after the insurance company and recover these much-needed funds.”
Vice-chairman supervisor Ray Amato agreed with Pfahler and said the companies definitely need an ordinance that will help them recover some funds.
“They may not be able to get it all back, but it will be some,” said Amato. “I know how hard it is to pay for things nowadays. This isn’t a surefire way, but it does give the companies something to lean back on.”
Township leaders directed the community’s solicitor Patrick Fanelli to look into the matter and bring a report to the next meeting of the supervisors, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 5.
