Consolidation and a loss of funding is forcing a 25-member New York fire company to shut down by the end of the year, the department announced over the weekend.
The Union Hill Fire Department will suspend its fire service operations and not renew its three-year contract with the Ontario Fire District #1 when it expires Dec. 31, the Times of Wayne County reports. Union Hill's board of directors, as well as its officers and members, voted on the closure.
The department's shuttering now means Ontario Fire District #1 will be responding to the community's emergency calls. The district's fire commissioners and chiefs already have been meeting to discuss how to handle the increased call volume and service area, and Union Hill's 10 active members have been encouraged to join the district.
"We must find a suitable site to provide the necessary facilities for the equipment required to maintain the high level of service expected and satisfy insurance requirements," Aron Thompson, chairman of the fire district's board of directors, told the Times. "We also plan to control the inevitable increasing financial impact that will be necessary to fulfill this change as well as face the new requirements in a rapidly expanding town in both residential and commercial properties."
Union Hill's apparatus, gear and other equipment will be liquidated. The closing only affects the fire department and not the Union Hill Ambulance, the Times added.
Established in 1942, Union Hill's volunteer fire company was created to provide fire protection to parts of the hamlet and Ontario, as well as Wayne and Monroe counties, not covered by other departments. Service area changes in 2016 and the continuing struggle to recruit and retain volunteers ultimately led to the board voting to close the department, according to the Times.
