Plumstead Township Officially Establishes Career Fire Department

PLUMSTEAD TOWNSHIP, PA — The Plumstead Township Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance earlier this month officially establishing Bucks County's newest paid fire department.

The ordinance authorizes the creation of the Plumstead Township Fire and Rescue Department and outlines the duties of the fire chief and the rank and file firefighters who will staff the new paid department.

Subscribe

"This is an important step for this township," said Matt Given, who chairs the board of supervisors. "There has been an amazing amount of work that has been done. And there's still a lot of work to be done. This township is taking a big step to keep close to 15,000 people safe in this township."

Earlier this year, the supervisors took its first step, hiring fire company veteran Bill Wiegman to lead the fledgling department as its full-time fire chief.

Wiegman comes to the township with a wealth of emergency services experience, having served most recently as the full-time paid fire chief of Montgomery Township. He is experienced in leading a paid fire service, community risk reduction, and emergency management. He is a graduate of La Salle University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is currently working to obtain his Doctorate in Public Administration.

In August, the township is expected to approve the hiring of four full time firefighters who will serve as the building blocks of the newly-formed department.

The township will also be hammering out operating agreements with its three volunteer fire companies - Plumsteadville, Point Pleasant and Dublin - which will continue to serve the township in cooperation with the newly created career department.

The newly formed career fire department will provide comprehensive fire protection services, including rapid response to fire emergencies, critical medical assistance for high-priority calls, fire safety inspections, community education, and proactive fire prevention programs.

For years, volunteers had staffed fire stations throughout Pennsylvania saving communities millions in labor costs. In recent years, however, the number of volunteers has dwindled, forcing municipalities to move to paid departments to supplement shrinking volunteer staffs.

In response to the dwindling forces, the county's fire companies launched recruitment campaigns while municipalities approved incentives to lure volunteers back to the fire service. The efforts have made an impact, but not enough to stem the tide of the dwindling volunteer brigades.

Many towns, including Plumstead, are now turning to paid career staffs or a combination of paid and volunteers to continue providing fire protection to their communities.

A number of departments have already transitioned to a paid staff or a hybrid of career and volunteer firefighters, including Northampton, Bensalem, Middletown, Warrington, and Newtown Township.