Sept. 06 -- ALSACE TOWNSHIP, PA -- Alsace Township and Alsace Manor Fire Company moved a step closer Wednesday to reinstatement of the fire company as a provider of fire and rescue services for the township.
The township supervisors removed the company as a provider last month amid a dispute over a discrepancy in the company's annual financial report.
During a township meeting Wednesday, Wendy Becker, fire chief, company treasurer and township fire marshal, presented the supervisors with copies of the fire company's bank statements for the past two years.
The statements, initially requested about six months ago, are one of three things supervisors are requiring to consider reinstatement. The others are copies of the company's current bylaws and state nonprofit certification.
"The township residents deserve their own fire service," Becker said, "and I feel as though an interruption in that fire service is an injustice and disservice to the citizens and the volunteers of the Alsace Manor Fire Company."
Becker and several residents in the assembly asked the township to reinstate the fire company immediately.
The issue is not that simple, supervisors Chairman Michael D. Stump said. The supervisors and township solicitor will need time to review the statements and are still waiting for the other requested documents before a decision can be made.
Solicitor Gary Swavely said since the township received a letter from a solicitor acting on behalf of the fire company, Swavely is required to consult with that solicitor in the matter.
"This situation puts our community and its safety at risk," said Bill Kline, reading from a prepared statement on behalf of a group of area residents. "We believe the board of supervisors is overstepping its bounds in requesting these documents. We request immediate action for recertification of the Alsace Manor Fire Company."
The supervisors voted at a recent special meeting to appoint three primary fire companies - Ruscombmanor, Mount Penn and Goodwill of Muhlenberg Township - and Lower Alsace and Central Fire Company of Laureldale as secondary companies, to serve in the absence of Alsace Manor.
A number of residents spoke against this move, arguing that the distance between the township and the chosen companies would delay service to and compromise the safety of residents and motorists in the township.
Resident Wesley Howell said he came to the aid of a motorist after a recent crash near his home.
"I was there six minutes before the first fire officer," he said, adding that a rescue truck did not arrive for another 15 minutes. "Luckily, the guy (motorist) was able to get out and walk away on his own."
Howell and others also are concerned that homeowners' fire insurance rates could rise with fire services being provided by more distant companies.
"I agree with what the township is requesting," Howell said after the meeting. "I just feel they could have gone about this a better way."
A relationship gone sour
Becker noted that the township was previously supportive of the fire company.
"The township has always been generous to us," she said. "For (12) years, they have paid our bills. We never had a problem."
The township had paid maintenance costs for the company's apparatus, its utility and fuel bills, workers compensation plan and vehicle insurance.
The fire company covered its building maintenance, training for firefighters, some equipment and other expenses using fundraisers and grant monies.
No township taxpayer money goes directly into fire company accounts, she said.
Resident Jamie Lucas defended the township's position.
"As far as I am concerned, we should have required every record of that fire company to be accessible to us because we are now paying their bills," he said.
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