Newtown Fire Association Urging Public To Attend Supervisors Meeting Wednesday

The Newtown Fire Association is asking the public to attend the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to voice concerns with township manager Kurt Ferguson's proposal to end the partnership with the Newtown Fire Association (NFA).

On it's Facebook page, the NFA claimed that if the township ends its partnership with the NFA, it could cost nearly $1 million to get the new system in place, result in a 75 percent reduction in fire and rescue abilities, as well as see response times double in certain areas of Newtown.

The NFA said it will issue a press release Wednesday night regarding the proposal.

The proposal, which would establish a hybrid volunteer and paid fire fighter system, will have long-term financial and safety benefits, according to Ferguson.

Ferguson said the new proposal would establish a deputy fire chief and create partnerships with surrounding fire departments, such as Upper Makefield and Lingohocken, saying the partnerships would help by sharing volunteers and equipment.

Township residents have since begun a Change.org petition to persuade the township and Ferguson to forgo the new proposal and remain in agreement with the NFA, which covers the townships on nights, weekends, and other times when Newtown's eight paid firefighters are unavailable to respond to calls. As of Tuesday morning, the petition has 320 of 500 sought signatures.

Fire services in Newtown Township are funded in two ways: a fire tax that is a portion of millage paid by property owners and support from the state that is provided to each municipality using a formula based on factors such as population and community size, Ferguson explained.

Each year, the fire tax generates approximately $275,000 for Newtown Township. Of that, $170,000 goes to the NFA.

In 2016, Newtown Township received $130,000 from the state, all of which went to the NFA.

As part of the proposal, Newtown Township would retain the $170,000 of the tax it allocates to the NFA, plus hold on to the $130,000 of annual state funding. Those funds would enable the township to transition its existing department to establish a volunteer staff that would serve during the times currently covered by the NFA, Ferguson explained.

Photo by Kara Seymour