Hempfield supervisors approve part-time, paid fire department position in contested vote

Hempfield supervisors narrowly approved seeking paid part-time day shift drivers for the fire department.

The move is part of efforts to strengthen and support the township volunteer fire department’s 10 stations in the face of challenges with emergency response.

The township has met with firefighters over the past few months about the future of Hempfield’s fire service, including a department-wide meeting with township officials March 9.

Hempfield continues to promote an option for stations to “go all in” and be managed by the township — which would cover the stations’ expenses. So far, North Hempfield is the township’s only nonchartered station. Fort Allen and Midway-­St.Clair fire stations have sent letters of intent to come under township management.

The part-time drivers will assist the department during weekday hours, when most volunteers are busy working, fire Chief Anthony Kovacic said.

“Years ago, you had folks that worked shifts (at the fire department) and had some folks that worked night shifts who could maybe be around during the day,” Kovacic said. “That isn’t necessarily the case anymore. Regardless of which station, trying to get adequate response during the day has been challenging.”

After tabling the vote last month, supervisors approved the part-time driver position with a 3-2 vote. Supervisors Doug Weimer, Jay Anderson and Bill Bretz supported the position. Supervisors Tom Logan and George Reese voted against it.

Hempfield posted the part-time driver application on its website. The drivers, who will earn $16 to $20 per hour, must be able to operate the fire truck and other essential equipment to suppress fire, rescue endangered individuals, provide care to the ill and injured and help with maintenance and inspection of fire equipment.

Hempfield budgeted $81,000 this year to potentially hire four part-time drivers. The township plans to hire two to four drivers in the first round of applications, township Manager Aaron Siko said.

“We’re looking forward to the fact that we are moving forward with these positions,” Siko said. “Our next steps are just continuing to support our chartered and nonchartered station as best we can.”

The drivers will help support the volunteer firefighters who staff the department’s Station 500 headquarters on Woodward Drive, Kovacic said.

Volunteers sign up to staff Station 500 as they are available. The goal of staffing Station 500 and hiring part-time drivers is to ensure an adequate response to all fire calls in the township, he said.

“The idea is to augment the current force of volunteers,” Kovacic said. “The skillset of the individual we’re looking for will be able to operate the equipment and do the functions of an interior firefighter.”

Supervisors debate

The supervisors debated the potential issues with the part-time driver position at previous meetings, including whether hiring paid drivers would be the first step in shifting to a paid fire service.

The board also discussed federal labor laws which would prevent a part-time driver from also volunteering at a fire station in the township.

The law states that if a volunteer firefighter exceeds 20% of the salary of a full-time firefighter in a department’s general region, they cannot continue to serve in that municipality’s volunteer fire service.

In Westmoreland County, Jeannette is the only municipality with a full-time, paid fire department, Siko said.

“If that volunteer or that part-time person is exceeding that 20% rule, at that point, they’re no longer eligible to volunteer within their own public station, within their own public fire department,” he said.

Weimer said he thinks the paid driver position will move the volunteer fire service forward while preserving it within the township.

“This is not a prelude to a paid fire department — it is a part of the evolution of saving the volunteer fire system,” he said. “I look forward to seeing this come to fruition, and I think it’s essential for maintaining a safe community.”

Bretz sees the move as a transition to a department with both paid drivers and unpaid volunteers.

“I don’t think there’s any feeling to be a fully professional department,” Bretz said. “We’re addressing that challenge that we have during the daylight hours.”

Supervisor Jay Anderson hopes hiring the part-time drivers will help bolster response times.

“We definitely have a decline in answered calls during the day, the response to fires, and anything we can do to help decrease the number of unanswered calls I think is a good idea,” he said. “The paid drivers seem to take care of that.”

Boosting the fire department’s response is a priority for Logan, but he does not think paid part-time fire positions are the solution.

“I am a 100% supporter of the all-volunteer fire department system. I realize the challenges that they go through. Their commitment to the community is very exemplary. People don’t understand the commitment that they make — and that their families make — to provide that service for our community.

“I don’t feel we’ve done everything we can to support them,” he said.

Offering an incentive like tax relief to volunteer firefighters might be a good way to start recruiting more members, Logan said.

Steps to address struggles

The latest vote comes after the township’s fire department-wide forum March 9, where more than 70 firefighters and a number of township officials gathered to discuss the future of the department and the nonchartered station model.

The township has met with several stations to talk about the process of becoming nonchartered since the forum, Weimer said, and the initiative seems to be making progress.

“We’ve had more inquiries from the stations in regard to their leadership at the independent stations,” Weimer said. “We have a number of fire companies that are now pursuing what it actually involves to come all in to the Hempfield fire service.”

Some fire stations are arranging meetings with their members to vote on going all-in, he said. Both Weimer and Anderson said they heard from firefighters who are in support of the paid part-time driver initiative.

“They’re very supportive of it overall. I had several who came right up to the table after we concluded the forum and came up and told us that that is the right move to take,” he said. “Since then, we’ve had continued correspondence from firefighters that it is something that Hempfield firefighters are supporting as part of the plan.”