Picnic Still On at Dauphin County, PA, Fire Station Closed Amid Racism Claims

A white banner promoting the Friendship Fire Company of Bressler’s annual picnic stretches across the lawn of Swatara Township Commissioner Michael Tuckey’s business, large enough that cars passing can read the sign.

The banner may seem innocuous, but it immediately raised questions and controversy.

Why is a fire house that was shut down by the township for claims of bullying and racism still holding a fundraiser? What are they going to do with the money? And why was a township commissioner advertising for it?

Further, another commissioner noted the giant sign violated the township’s sign ordinance.

The kerfuffle represents a culmination of issues that have plagued Swatara Township and the fire company for years.

Swatara Township recently voted 3-0 to remove the Friendship Fire Company of Bressler from the township’s fire services after complaints of racial discrimination and an open investigation by the state attorney general’s office into those allegations. President Shaela Ellis, Vice President Shane Steele and Commissioner Thomas Connolly all voted to remove the fire company, while Commissioners Christine Zubeck and Tuckey abstained from the vote, saying they needed more time to review complaints. Tuckey wanted to wait until the attorney general’s investigation was completed, but he was overruled.

The township also voted to rescind a motion asking PennDOT to allow the fire company to promote their annual picnic on a banner hanging over a state road, a decision that Tuckey later said was “petty.”

That banner is now the one on the lawn of Tuckey’s business. He didn’t have a permit to put it there, but one is required because of its size.

Robert Ihlein, director of planning and zoning, said he went to the business on May 31 to inform the owner, Tuckey, that the banner is too big according to the zoning code and he has to apply for a permit if he would like to mount it on the side of the building. Tuckey was given five business days to comply, standard for the township, which would be June 7. The picnic is on June 9 at Cibort Park, located behind the fire house.

“I put the banner there simply because I believe they [the fire company] deserves the right as does any citizen to due process,” Tuckey said. “Because of that, I’m okay with having a sign out front. It is a big community event every year, and the company has had 104 years protecting the community.”

But Commissioner Connolly took issue with the banner and his explanation.

“He’s promoting a picnic for a place determined to have a policy of racial exclusion by the board of commissioners that he’s on,” Connolly said. “He’s basically just not following any rule and he’s a township commissioner.”

The vote to cut ties with the fire house means the township no longer provides any financial support. Swatara Township also removed a fire engine and pickup truck from the Friendship Fire Company because they are township-owned.

The fire company, which operates as a nonprofit, owns the building, land records show, and maintains control of the property, which is typical for volunteer fire departments across the state.

Fire company representatives did not respond to PennLive’s repeated attempts to secure comment, including a visit to the fire house. Proceeds from the picnic will go to the fire company, but it’s unclear how they will use any money raised. The money could cover costs associated with building like heating and cooling, or it could cover upkeep or anything else the fire department or social club wants.

It’s unclear if they plan to continue the annual picnic in future years and other fundraisers and what their ultimate plans are for the property. It’s also unclear if they can continue to operate as a tax-exempt nonprofit when firefighting and protecting the public are no longer among their duties.

According to a 2022 tax filing, the fire department is a nonprofit, but under a more specialized classification. Fire departments are tax-exempt under a class that specifies a nonprofit organization is operated “exclusively to promote social welfare,” according to the IRS.

A PennLive reporter visited the social club a block away from the fire house Tuesday afternoon to try to get answers. The bar in the social club was open and serving three patrons inside. The bartender said it was his first day and he could not answer questions. He also said there was no manager or anyone else on site who could answer questions.

The picnic on Sunday is free to attend and includes games for kids, picnic foods for purchase and raffles. Several residents spoke at the commissioner’s meeting Wednesday, which lasted three hours, to express support for the picnic.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a picnic,” one resident said. “I hope that we can heal. The divisiveness on this board — it didn’t used to be this way and it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Commissioners meetings have been highly contentious in the last six months. Their meetings drag on for hours, attract dozens of residents who speak during public comments and rack up thousands of views on the township’s Facebook page.

Township votes are typically split 3-2 on issues and commissioners at times attack one another and make pointed remarks at residents in the audience, all while attempting to get business done.

The Bressler Fire Company was brought up again during Wednesday’s meeting.

“There’s no amount of negativity that would make me change my vote as it deals with the Bressler Fire Company,” Connolly said at the meeting. “So many good people in Bressler came forward with a situation that bothered them for years.”

Tuckey said, once more, that he believes the situation was not handled property and he wishes the township would’ve waited.

The issue is likely to drag on. The attorney general’s full investigation could take years to complete. It’s the second time the AG has investigated the same firehouse. In the meantime, the fire company and social club are free to continue operating as a private entity and potentially host the picnic.

“If the attorney general’s report is done and someone did something wrong, those people should be held accountable,” Tuckey said. “There’s nothing proven. We simply didn’t have all the information to make the decisions we’re making.”

Connolly said, however, that Tuckey stormed out of one meeting about the process of the investigation and “never gave any plan or advice” for how to deal with the situation.

“There’s a reason this didn’t move for two years,” Connolly said. “It shows how blatant it is when a commissioner puts a sign on his business.”

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