FORTY FORT, Pa. (AP) -- In a patchwork county of more than 70 municipalities, talk of consolidating services is usually shot down quickly.
But in Forty Fort and Kingston, two West Side communities nestled next to each other along U.S. Route 11, local officials are looking to deepen a relationship between their municipal fire departments.
Forty Fort Borough Council recently voted to give council President Andy Tuzinski the go-ahead to pursue a feasibility study for an even closer working relationship between the adjacent fire departments.
We voted to authorize seeking a possible consolidation or merger with the Kingston Fire Department, Tuzinski said. What were trying to do is eliminate the border between the two towns.
The current state of cooperation joint training, mutual fire response across municipality lines and flexible workers compensation agreements for firefighters responding in both Kingston and Forty Fort regardless of their department affiliation has afforded a stepped-up fire response, Tuzinski said.
But the prospect of a more complete merger is attractive, at least in part, for the cost-cutting opportunities it could provide.
Health care is killing us, he said.
Over the past four years, the increasing cooperation between the two municipalities has been progressing in small baby steps, Tuzinski said. And currently there is an agreement that is working out great.
In the event of a structure fire in Forty Fort, Kingstons ladder truck supports Forty Forts firefighters. Theyre right there behind our fire engine, Tuzinski said. I can think of three buildings that are standing today because of that agreement.
And if a Forty Fort firefighter responds to assist at a fire in Kingston and is injured, he or she is covered under a joint workers compensation arrangement.
Because of this agreement its assumed that I would have been dispatched anyway, Tuzinski said. Im covered.
Forty Fort contacted the state Department of Community and Economic Development in the fall for assistance in conducting the study. The consideration of that request was pushed back until this spring.
Even if the volunteer and career departments in both municipalities function as one entity in the event of a fire, Tuzinski imagines a few problems. I think there are a lot of questions as far as seniority and job assignments, but those are things that we can sit down and work out, he said.
Distributed by the Associated Press
