Tensions Mount in Managment of Pa. Fire Department

Nov. 29, 2013
A rift between the Friendship Fire Company No. 2's fire fighting members and social group is growing more tense.

Nov. 29--The rift between Mohnton's fire crew and the social club that oversees it was years in the making.

But the catalyst, both sides agree, was a dispute over the Friendship Fire Company No. 2 of Mohnton's stand selling waffles and ice cream at Gov. Mifflin Community Days.

The fire crew and social club clashed over where fundraising proceeds should go and who should be allowed to volunteer at the stand. Simmering tensions between the two factions boiled over, leading to the first of back-to-back suspensions of Fire Chief Allen Detwiler.

Now Detwiler and his volunteer engine crew are asking borough government to separate the department and social club.

The fire crew wants the borough to take over management and funding of the company. Fire crew members told the borough council at a recent meeting that they're not sure how long they'll stick around if the drama continues.

Meanwhile, club officers are advertising openings for the chief and assistant chief positions, saying they're hoping to have new volunteers lined up if department leaders leave. They said they're looking into bringing in a mediator to help the factions resolve their differences and stick together.

Borough officials put together a committee to look at options.

Mounting tensions

Tensions started when the fire company lost its nonprofit status in 2010 after going three years without filing federal tax documents. Detwiler said that hurt the engine crew because it can no longer receive state grants, which had brought in up to $35,000 a year.

The engine crew asked an accountant to help the club regain its nonprofit status.

But relations between club leaders and the accountant soured. Detwiler said it was because club leaders didn't like what the accountant told them. Club leaders said it was because they believe she was responsible for a state Liquor Control Board investigation.

Detwiler was suspended over the summer after allowing the accountant to volunteer at the Community Days stand. The club and crew also disagreed on whether stand proceeds should go into the fire company budget or firefighters' relief fund.

Detwiler was suspended again over his involvement in the suspension of a fire police officer. Detwiler said club members were upset because the officer is involved with the club. Club officers said Detwiler overstepped his authority.

Gridlock

Club Treasurer Mike Madara said the dispute boils down to personal disagreements.

The organization is working with the IRS to regain its nonprofit status, he said. It could put more money toward firefighting in the meantime, he said, but that requires an open dialogue between the club, and the factions aren't speaking right now.

"It's a surprise to us that they're saying we don't help them get their equipment," he said. "Well, you didn't even ask."

Detwiler said the crew has asked the club to fund more projects but requests aren't always met. Firefighting costs have to compete with other things the club wants to spend money on, he said.

"We need to be able to separate the fire department activities from the bar activities," he said.

If the department were under borough control, Detwiler said, it would be able to keep more of its fundraising money and receive grants, which would make up for the roughly $25,000 the club provides each year.

But Madara said the company could continue working as it has if communication were better. He said Detwiler has routinely made decisions without discussing them with club officers, which he isn't supposed to do.

"If you're not operating within the guideline of the business -- whether it's the bylaws or a matter of integrity -- you can't be a part of that," he said.

Detwiler said he suspects his falling out with the club has more to do with grudges than club rules.

He said it's not important to him that he remains chief but he doesn't want the club interfering with the firefighting side of the operation. The firefighters should elect their officers and those officers should be the ones making decisions about equipment and resources, he said.

"How can you have people who have no clue about fire company activities voting to put someone in there (as chief)?" he asked.

Similar themes

Divisions over the operation of small-town fire companies are not uncommon, said Jon Holcombe, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs Eastern Division, which includes Pennsylvania.

Firefighting equipment is expensive and companies' resources are limited, he said. Firefighters tend to feel strongly about being able to make decisions about what they spend money on because they need the equipment to stay safe while doing their jobs.

"They generally like to see autonomy on how they spend their money," said Holcombe, a retired fire chief in western New Jersey. "A lot of times the schism or whatever comes in when the firefighters believe that they should be spending the money on firefighting equipment and the other faction wants to spend resources elsewhere."

But usually the argument is between the fire company and the municipality it serves, rather than separate factions within the fire company, he said.

Many small volunteer companies in the Northeast are tied to social groups, but it's less common in other areas of the country, Holcombe said.

It goes back to a time when volunteer companies were the center of town, he said. People volunteered for the company and went there for their social interactions.

Some departments have moved away from that set-up, he said. Most of the time it's money-driven. Equipment is getting much more expensive and traditional fundraising can't always pay the bills.

Contact Liam Migdail-Smith: 610-371-5022 or [email protected].

Copyright 2013 - Reading Eagle, Pa.

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