Denying Palmer Township, PA, Fire Commissioner to Building During Call 'Unacceptable'

Palmer Township’s fire commissioner says he was locked out of a warehouse during a recent fire call and denied entry for a safety check when the warehouse was under construction.

“That is simply unacceptable,” township Supervisor Joseph Armato said at a meeting in March. “If businesses want to be good neighbors, they must prioritize safety and cooperate fully with emergency services.”

Township fire Commissioner Stephen Gallagher said the exit doors were locked when firefighters responded last month to a fire alarm at a warehouse he declined to specify on Van Buren Road. He said the alarm couldn’t be reset because the passcode provided didn’t work and management couldn’t figure out how to obtain the correct code. He said some exit doors weren’t labeled consistently with the corresponding interior door markings.

And when the warehouse was under construction, Gallagher said he was denied entry for a progress check and told he did not have permission to come in without an appointment.

He said the fire commissioner should have the right to spot-check township properties for fire safety, particularly a warehouse, which presents large challenges for fire crews.

He asked the supervisors to update the township ordinance from the current “reactive” status, which requires an emergency for fire inspectors’ access, to a “proactive” ordinance that allows for unannounced inspections.

Township Supervisors Chairman Michael Brett said he’d consider it.

“The board is, as always, open to exploring conversations and entertaining the possibility of any ordinance that will increase and maintain the health, safety and welfare of the community granted it is rooted in facts, research and adequately publicly vetted out by our professional staff, collective board of supervisors and our residents,” Brett said.

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