After 114 years, East Landsdowne firefighters will no longer be responding to emergencies after Dec. 31.
"It's an emotional time. It's not really about me, but the history of the organization. The number of people we’ve had over the years of 114 years of service," Deputy Chief Steve Castellano told NBC10 after the council's vote Monday night.
Despite recruitment efforts, the company only has five members. That, and the lack of funding, culminated with the closure.
"It's 10 years of requesting for funding falling on deaf ears and not receiving that funding. This is not an issue just here in East Lansdowne, it’s a nationwide issue, especially with these smaller town fire departments," he said.
Mayor Majovie Bland said to give the company $120,000 to stay operational is something the borough just can't afford.
"Make no mistake, we did the financial analysis. We would have to raise taxes to our residents 60% to cover parttime."
Other companies, including Landsdowne, Yeadon and Cardington Stonehurst, are about a mile away. The mayor said it will use the already established fire tax to pay for them to respond.
Officials haven't decided what will happen with the firehouse and apparatus.
