A neighboring municipality’s volunteer fire department will take over emergency services in Paxtang Borough effective Aug. 1.
Paxtang council members on June 21 accepted a proposal by Swatara Township Fire Rescue to operate its fire services, rejecting a bid by the City of Harrisburg.
Under the agreement, Paxtang will pay $25,000 a year for the services through Dec. 31, 2028.
The borough said the decision was driven by a lack of volunteers at Paxtang’s only fire station on Derry Street. It wasn’t clear why Paxtang council members chose Swatara over Harrisburg City.
Last week, Paxtang borough manager Keldeen Stambaugh said by law the borough is charged with providing fire service to residences and businesses. With the declining trend of volunteer firefighters, she added, it means officials need to take responsibility and examine other options.
Paxtang Fire Department Captain Matt Lemmon said the department operates with about six active firefighters and responds to between 340 and 350 calls annually, ranging from vehicle accidents to fires. Of those calls, about 60 are in the borough, Stambaugh said.
On Wednesday, Swatara Township announced on Facebook its fire department looks forward to adding members of the Paxtang Fire Company, who are not currently members of Swatara Township Fire Rescue, to their ranks.
Lemmon expressed disappointment with the decision and said because of low morale Paxtang’s firefighters will likely not join Swatara’s department.
“As far as fire company is concerned, we just got stabbed in the back,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate and it’s very unfortunate for the borough residents.”
The borough and its public safety committee spent 18 months researching and discussing options. The issue spurred debate among some of the borough’s 1,650 residents who started a petition on Change.org in support of a contract with Harrisburg City.
Residents say Swatara Township’s volunteer department is further away and response times would be slower than Harrisburg Fire Department, which has paid firefighters. They also expressed concern that Swatara Township would close Paxtang’s fire house.
Rebecca Frankenfield, of Paxtang, who started the petition, told PennLive Swatara’s response times are not even close to what the city with a staffed fire department and Swatara Township has discussed at meetings the need for paid fire truck drivers.
Information about the fate of the firehouse and equipment is unknown. Stambaugh said more details about the transition will be announced by the public safety committee in the near future.
She said Harrisburg’s bid was for $25,000 annually with the term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
Paxtang’s trouble recruiting volunteer emergency services workers is consistent with fire companies elsewhere. Across Pennsylvania the number of volunteer firefighters has been dropping over the past decades from 360,000 in 1975 to about 30,000 in 2021, according to The National Volunteer Fire Council and the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
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