Grapeville Volunteer Fire Department to dissolve charter

Hempfield’s oldest fire department will formally dissolve its charter in about two weeks, handing over its finances to be managed by the township.

Supervisors in March approved Grapeville Volunteer Fire Department’s declaration of intent to dissolve its charter. The 107-year-old station’s finances will be paid and managed by the township following a Court of Common Pleas hearing Dec. 19 under Judge Chris Scherer.

But Hempfield has every intention to maintain the station’s century of history, said fire Chief Anthony Kovacic.

“When you go into the Grapeville station, they’re very proud of that history. Photos and awards are obviously displayed,” Kovacic said.

“And I think moving forward, when we’re looking at the headquarters building that we’re going to put together, we want to be able to capture that history and display it for future firefighters for years to come.”

Where the stations stand

Township officials have been working for years to bring all of Hempfield’s fire stations under one umbrella.

North Hempfield was the first to finish the process, in 2021, and Midway-St. Clair dissolved its charter Aug. 22.

Carbon, Hempfield No. 2 and Fort Allen are in the process of becoming nonchartered, Kovacic said. Adamsburg and Hannastown have submitted letters of interest.

West Point — which merged in April with the shuttered High Park station — and Bovard have not formally expressed interest in dissolving their charters, Kovacic said.

‘It takes a lot of headaches off us’

Grapeville Capt. David Ciarkowski wishes the station had moved to dissolve its charter sooner. Receiving more information about the process during the township’s annual fire forum in February helped Grapeville make the decision, he said.

Under township management, Grapeville’s 20 members won’t bear the brunt of fundraising the $50,000 to $60,000 it needs to operate — and respond to more than 500 fire calls — each year, Ciarkowski said.

“There’s no having to worry about how to come up with funds to keep the building running, get new equipment, new fire trucks,” said Ciarkowski, who has volunteered with the station since 2018.

“That’s going to be all on the township. We just need to do the training and let them know what we need, and they get it as they can. It takes a lot of headaches off us.”

Chief: Fire tax shows dedication to funding stations

To better support the township’s 10 fire departments, supervisors plan to establish a 3-mill fire tax that will be voted on this month.

The increased funding for fire departments comes at a good time for Grapeville, which is looking to replace its 30-year-old fire truck, Ciarkowski said.

The township also plans to find a new building for Grapeville to operate out of, he said — possibly along Route 30. No properties have been identified yet.

Kovacic is hopeful the tax will allow the township to continue funding resources for its fire stations, including reapplication for a federal grant.

The township received a SAFER — Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response — grant in December 2023. The grant pays for training, personal protective equipment for new volunteers and incentives for firefighters to staff the stations, Kovacic said. It will expire in 2027.

“I think that (the fire tax) shows that the township supervisors are certainly dedicated to continuing to fund fire protection for Hempfield Township,” he said.