Jan. 23--One of two fire companies in East Union Township received a notice to shut down, at least temporarily.
The township supervisors suspended the Citizens Fire Co. of Brandonville.
"If an accident happened in front of the fire house, all they could do is pull up a chair and watch," assistant Fire Chief Bob Heim said Tuesday.
Heim hopes that supervisors will lift the suspension after a meeting scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.
Supervisor Dennis Antonelli isn't optimistic.
He said the supervisors acted with the advice of their solicitor when sending a letter suspending the fire company on Friday.
"Different issues put the township in a bad position as far as liability," Antonelli said.
Heim said the supervisors don't want to pay insurance for firefighters who belong to the company but live in Shenandoah.
Many of the new members live in Shenandoah, but Heim, who lives in Ringtown, said his trip to Brandonville is about as long as theirs.
He also said the supervisors believe that the Citizens Fire Co. has trouble responding to calls and that some members require training.
Heim, however, said the company only received two calls so far this year and responded to them both. He offers training on Mondays and Wednesdays.
"To me, they're not giving me a chance to show them," he said.
On Monday, Heim and other members of the fire company held a meeting at their station to tell Brandonville residents what is happening.
"We talked about how they closed down the fire department on Friday without any explanation. (We) let them know they had no fire company in Brandonville. The nearest is coming from Sheppton," Heim said.
With the Citizens company suspended, the task of responding to emergencies in Brandonville falls to the Sheppton-Oneida Volunteer Fire Co., which also is based in East Union Township.
Chief Kyle Mummey of Sheppton-Oneida said the problems are between the supervisors and Citizens Fire Co., not his fire company.
"We're here. We're going to protect the citizens of the township," Mummey said.
Heim said that's all the Citizens company members want to do, too.
"I don't want bad feelings," he said.
Since July 2012 when he joined, Heim said the Citizens company gained momentum from new members.
This summer, they want to hold a battle of the bands and a carnival for township residents, Heim said.
While the township supervisors stopped funding the Citizens company three years ago, the company persisted through fundraisers such as spaghetti dinners and Chinese auctions and revenues from the company's tavern.
Although some fire company members live in Brandonville, Heim said many of the younger members would come from Shenandoah and other towns that have more residents of firefighting age.
"Ninety percent of the people of Brandonville are older," Heim said.
Copyright 2013 - Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
