Delaware County Fire Co Disbanded After Racist Comments Surface

GLENOLDEN, PA — After it was suspended due to members' use of racist language and mocking a dead 8-year-old girl, the Briarcliffe Fire Company has been permanently disbanded.

According to Delaware County Daily Times, the fire company voted to disband recently, and the announcement was made Wednesday at the Darby Township Board of Commissioners meeting.

The fire company was initially suspended for 30 days while an investigation by the District Attorney's Office into the comments made by members on a virtual meeting takes place. The investigation found no criminal wrongdoing.

Briarcliffe members were heard on the meeting using racial slurs about members of the Darby Fire Township No. 4 Fire Company, assaulting members of the Goodwill Fire Company, arson, and mocking the name of 8-year-old Fanta Bility who was shot and killed in Sharon Hill in August 2021, the letter states.

The fire company's suspension was later extended for two more months.

Robert C. Ewing, attorney for the Briarcliffe Fire Company, said in a statement that members do not want to put their lives at risk for a community that does not appreciate them.

"Being a volunteer firefighter is extremely time consuming that often requires full time hours," the statement reads. "In addition to responding to fires the members must train, drill and spend time raising funds. Therefore, the members voted to disband. Their time will be better spent enjoying time with their families or filling the hours with paid employment. This valuable Township resource will now cease to exist."

The situation unfolded in early February when the Goodwill Fire Company described insults overheard by members of Glenolden's Briarcliff Fire Company during a virtual meeting in January in a letter to Darby Township Commissioners.

The letter named six members of the fire company who were involved in the conversations.

During the conversations, these members were heard using racial slurs about members of the Darby Fire Township No. 4 Fire Company, assaulting members of the Goodwill Fire Company, arson, and mocking the name of 8-year-old Fanta Bility who was shot and killed in Sharon Hill in August 2021, the letter states.

These members — who are named in the letter — are alleged to have thought the virtual meeting was over, however they were still being recorded.

With Briarcliffe's disbanding, the Goodwill and Darby Township are the sole fire companies open in the township.

Action News reports Darby township has reached an agreement with Upper Darby and Delaware County Emergency Service to help with emergency calls for the time being.