Sep. 12--PLYMOUTH TWP. -- Despite a decisive vote from township supervisors that decertified Plymouth Township's only volunteer fire company, the battle to save it rages on, with a town hall meeting at the firehouse on Thursday.
It's been about two weeks since the Plymouth Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to strip the Plymouth Township Fire and Rescue Tilbury Station 169 of its certification that allowed it to respond to emergency calls within the bounds of the township.
The vote came during a contentious meeting, at which the fire company and numerous residents came out in an attempt to convince the township supervisors to allow the department to continue operation within the town, but the board determined the cost of maintaining the department was too high, especially in light of the department's current $600,000 outstanding loan owed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The department argued for a fee to be leveled on Plymouth Township households in order to continue operations, but the board elected instead to decertify it and certify the departments of Nanticoke, Larksville, Plymouth and Lake Silkworth to take over.
A post on the department's Facebook page, though, indicates that the fight isn't over yet.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday, a town hall meeting will be held at the fire house, located on East Poplar Street, to discuss the future of the fire company.
Another post from the department indicates that, while the department had been decertified, it hadn't technically been closed.
"We are dedicated to Plymouth Twp even if the township leaders are not dedicated to us," the post reads. "We plan to fight this egregious decision by the Board on multiple fronts."
It's unclear currently how exactly the fire company plans to fight the decision, but their post indicates that they "don't plan to go quietly into the cold dark night."
Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan
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