SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Volunteer firefighters from the borough voiced their concern for public safety Thursday as the North Manheim Township supervisors discussed the borough council's decision not to renew its fire protection agreement with the township.
"For as long as anyone here today can remember, the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department has been providing emergency services to parts of (North Manheim Township) ..." Charles Reed Jr., president of Schuylkill Haven Board of Fire Trustees and fire police captain, said during the supervisors meeting. "... No matter what the emergency, we have responded. What I am asking today is that the board of supervisors of North Manheim Township please try to work out an agreement with the Schuylkill Haven Borough Council and also the other municipalities involved."
The current 10-year agreement for fire protection in North Manheim Township is set to expire Dec. 31. The township is currently covered by fire companies from six municipalities - Mount Carbon/North Manheim Township, Schuylkill Haven, Orwigsburg, Landingville, Cressona and Pottsville.
If the Schuylkill Haven Borough Council and the township supervisors don't come up with a solution by Dec. 31, Schuylkill Haven's three fire companies will not be able to respond to any emergencies in North Manheim Township.
The Schuylkill Haven Fire Department's coverage area of North Manheim Township includes the busy stretch of Route 61 from just south of the City of Pottsville to south of the Borough of Schuylkill Haven, the Cressona Mall, Renninger's Market, St. Ambrose School and Penn State Schuylkill campus.
Signed in 2002, the current agreement divided the township's fire protection fund equally among the municipalities as annual compensation for the municipalities' fire companies responding to emergency fire calls in the township.
Before the 2002 agreement, payment to the municipalities was based on assigned coverage areas and property value. In 1986, the township assigned 1 mill of property tax to the fire protection fund. That figure was adjusted to 0.5 mills in 1996. The township divides that fund equally among the contracted municipalities. The municipalities then distribute the funds to their individual fire companies.
The three Schuylkill Haven fire companies are responsible for most of North Manheim Township, according to a map of the assigned coverage areas.
As a result, the borough fire companies respond to substantially more calls each year but are paid the same as the other fire companies.
Schuylkill Haven borough Manager Scott Graver said Thursday that the township has known the borough was displeased with the agreement for a while but decided to honor the remaining years on the 10-year contract.
In an email, Graver said, "... Schuylkill Haven fire companies respond to the highest percentage of overall emergency situations in the township and should be fairly compensated for such. ... The old agreement appeared to take this fact into consideration when funds were distributed. Although I cannot speak for other municipalities, I do believe that all parties to the agreement would be amiable to a restructuring of the 'distribution of funds,' such as the one that previously was in place (before 2002) ..."
When the Schuylkill Haven Borough Council unanimously voted not to extend the agreement Sept. 5, borough solicitor Mark Semanchik said he did not think another 10-year extension was a good idea and cited that the township now has its own fire department and fire marshal.
However, the Mount Carbon/North Manheim Township Fire Company No. 1 serves only as an additional responder for the Pottsville Fire Department and does not respond to calls in North Manheim Township by itself.
Harry L. Eckert, supervisors chairman for North Manheim Township, said the supervisors did not know of the borough's intent to not extend the agreement until a letter was received Sept. 6.
"We had no idea this was happening," Eckert said. "All of a sudden, they just opted out and they don't give us a reason. If they gave us a reason, we could work on that and negotiate. We are willing to negotiate. We want to resolve this."
In response to that letter, Thomas R. Lisella, township solicitor, responded with a letter asking borough council for the reasoning behind the decision and requesting to extend the current contract for a year to resolve those issues.
"The reason why we need time is because there are other contract parties beside Schuylkill Haven," Lisella said. "We can't just change the Schuylkill Haven contract. All the contracts need to change because the pot of money is the pot of money. We can't alter the share of Schuylkill Haven without getting an agreement with the other contracted parties."
Lisella said he has not had a response from Schuylkill Haven.
Graver said the borough is open to negotiate a new contract, but the only thing the council has received from the township was a request for an extension of the current agreement.
John Matz, Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency coordinator, also attended Thursday's meeting. At the request of the township and fire company representatives, Matz agreed to try to set up a meeting between the necessary legal representatives to come up with a solution.