Dauphin County Chief Debate Who Should Respond First

When a fire erupts in Dauphin County, many residents might believe that the firefighters closest to the blaze are always the ones who arrive first.

Yet, those residents would be wrong, as was shown by Thursday night's fire at the Tokyo Diner in Lower Paxton Twp.

At 1.2 miles, Progress Fire Company in Susquehanna Twp. is closest to the restaurant, but it was dispatched five minutes after three Lower Paxton fire companies were dispatched, two of which are more than 4 miles away.

The issue of fire response was debated Tuesday night at the Dauphin County Fire Chiefs Association meeting in Swatara Twp., but members deferred a decision on changing dispatching until at least July, when they'll next meet.

In the meantime, they will get an update in June on recent upgrades to the computer-aided dispatch system from the Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency's IT director.

None of the fire officials from 26 of the county's approximately 45 companies expressed opposition to "closest due" dispatching, but some called for careful consideration of such issues as getting appropriate equipment to the scene of fires, bringing Harrisburg's paid, unionized firefighters into the arrangement and whether municipalities will believe they're subsidizing firefighting in neighboring towns.

"It's more of a territorial battle between the volunteer fire companies," said David Johnson, public safety director for Lower Paxton Twp. "I can't imagine any elected officials putting public safety at risk by saying we want our fire [company] dispatched first."

Having Progress firefighters respond five minutes earlier probably wouldn't have made much of a difference in the Tokyo Diner blaze, Colonial Park Fire Chief Thomas Swank said. The fire, which caused an estimated $100,000 damage, started in the building's attic and on the roof, above the restaurant's hibachis, authorities said. The cause was an electrical malfunction, investigators said.

Changing the way fire companies are dispatched to allow the closest units to respond would not be an easy task. Dauphin County has the software to do it, but every municipality would have to agree to such a change, county Emergency Management Agency Director Stephen Libhart said.

In Pennsylvania, the responsibility for emergency response lies with the lowest form of government.

Most municipalities give money to fire companies, and there's a perception that if a fire company is receiving funding it should have primary responsibility for that area, Libhart said. What is amounts to is this: Who is going to make the determination of who is going to be the next fire company to respond?

But there are a lot of other factors, particularly the route of travel, to take into consideration, Libhart said. One fire company might be closer as the crow flies, but it might take longer for it to get to a blaze because of road and traffic conditions.

Also, the closer department might not have the apparatus needed to effectively fight a fire or make a rescue.

The planning process has been under way for more than a year, Londonderry Fire Company Chief Bart Shellenhamer said at Tuesday's meeting. He said implementation, if approved, could take up to 18 months, but Libhart warned of glitches that could slow the time line.

"There's always something unknown, obstaclewise, when you start down this path," Libhart said.

Cumberland County has a system similar to Dauphin County's for dispatching fire units. But in Perry County, like many rural areas, first responders are not confined to municipal lines. The rule there: The company closest to the fire goes.

Swank said the issue needs to be examined to determine what is the best for the residents.

"I have an open mind about it," he said. "Ultimately, its going to come down to each municipality deciding how they want to operate."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service