Officials Fail to Recertify PA Fire Company

A volunteer fire company in Jefferson Hills has not responded to emergency calls for nearly two years.

It may be another year or so until it does as council once again failed to recertify Gill Hall nor did it formally recognize Gill Hall and Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue as the two official borough fire departments.

Motions to approve those actions were tabled Monday night by a 4-3 vote.

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Council vice president David Montgomery and members Vickie Ielase, Frank Sockman and Melissa Steffey were in favor of idling the fire hall a little longer.

President Karen Bucy, Keith Reynolds and Nicole Ruscitto dissented.

JHFR is the merged company of Jefferson 885 and Floreffe volunteer fire companies. It is the sole recognized Jefferson Hills fire company.

"I'm extremely disappointed for our community," Reynolds said after the meeting. "I don't understand how it went south. We moved in the right direction. The confidence level increased. How much does Gill Hall have to beg to save a life in this community?"

Council also voted 4-2-1 to table distributing $290,000 in fire tax funds after tabling the Gill Hall actions.

Reynolds, Bucy, Ruscitto and Ielase voted in favor. Montgomery and Sockman dissented. Steffey abstained.

Gill Hall was dropped by the borough in January 2019. However, the decertification vote didn't dissolve the department, which owns its fire hall, truck and other equipment.

Gill Hall was reinstated as a borough fire company on a probationary basis in April, but was not placed back on Allegheny County emergency dispatching "run cards." Run cards include information for dispatchers so they know what departments to call out during an emergency.

Allegheny County was prepared to resume Gill Hall dispatch on Nov. 20, but needed final approval from council despite receiving a letter from Jefferson Hills Mayor Janice Cmar authorizing the fire hall's return.

Instead of moving forward last month with Gill Hall firefighters back out on calls, council voted 5-2 Nov. 18 to no longer recognize the 72-year-old, 20-member department as a borough fire company after a lengthy back-and-forth about Gill Hall's future both that evening and Nov. 16.

Reynolds and Ruscitto dissented.

Steffey said Monday that requests for information from Gill Hall were not fulfilled in a timely manner, and referenced the marathon November meeting when discussing why it was not time for Gill Hall to be put back in service.

She said she wanted to see a written plan on the future of the fire hall, which was discussed as a stipulation for recertification.

"I can't vote on a wing and a prayer," Steffey said. "I needed more substantial information and it was not supplied by the fire liaisons ... It still does not sit well with me that things that are asked from them take forever to receive."

Reynolds said asking for such an in-depth plan is another delay tactic in Gill Hall's recertification, and council has no such report from JHFR.

Ielase said Gill Hall's reinstatement is "not as black and white as everybody wants to make it seem" and that she is "not going to go against my gut" when it comes to voting.

Gill Hall first Assistant Chief Joe Floriolli Sr. said late Monday night that he does not understand why council cannot come to an agreement and reinstate his company.

"We're just trying to protect and serve our community like we did for the past 70+ years," Floriolli said. "We're trying to get back in service and continue what we've been doing."

Reynolds pledged to bring up Gill Hall at every council meeting.

"We're going to vote on this every single month and take a roll call vote so the residents know who is truly for and against opening this fire hall," Reynolds said. "There will be a long track record. This needs to be resolved."

Gill Hall has about seven firefighters scheduled to be trained at the Allegheny County Fire Academy in January. That is expected to continue despite Gill Hall not being a recognized by the borough.

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