June 10--WILMORE -- Borough officials in Wilmore decided on Monday to extend the deadline for the Wilmore Volunteer Fire Company to comply with administrative and operational guidelines set forth months ago.
The company's lack of administrative and health records for members creates liability issues, said council President Lori Schrift.
Also, an out-of-town firefighter's workman's comp claim could cause the borough's insurance premiums to spike 20 percent to 25 percent over the next five years, eating up most of the borough's $29,000 annual budget.
But progress is being made on righting the ship, said Schrift and, although the borough imposed a June 1 due date, council decided to give company President Bryan Shuagis and Chief Barry Boring more time to "get their ducks in a row." The two gave a monthly report on their progress.
"We're looking at the fact that they're operating without bylaws, the fact that everything we'd asked them to accomplish -- safety meetings, a list of members that they're required by law to give us," Schrift said. "The expectation is we have to enforce these rules to protect the liability of the community."
After the workman's comp claim, council made member training a strong priority.
The borough held workshops between monthly meetings, working closely with the department, Schrift said.
Shuagis said he's been looking into training courses -- no controlled structure burns will be taking place until September, he said.
"Quality, not quantity, certainly is an issue," Schrift said. Some of the new members recently have been "questionable." Response times also have been unsatisfactory, she said. "Obviously, you don't want warm bodies, you want qualified members."
Currently, eight of the 12 department members are compliant and on the active roster. Two of those members are the company's two fire police officers. Shuagis told council that background checks have yet to be completed for the members.
"Any new member that shows up -- they have to have their physical cards done, background checks, urinalysis, drug tests -- everything has to be completed," said Boring. "We don't pay for it, they pay for it themselves."
Shuagis said the borough has been stern yet fair and given the department the benefit of the doubt. Although the borough was ready to vote on dropping the company altogether months ago, Schrift said things have been moving in the right direction.
"We'll work with them where we can, which is what we've said all along," she said. "But it comes down to getting it done."
The council will decide if the company's compliance is satisfactory at the next council meeting, scheduled for July 14.
Justin Dennis covers Wilmore Borough for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter at @JustinDennis.
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