Southwest Greensburg firefighters operate without working siren

June 14--Southwest Greensburg's fire chief said he is confident borough firefighters will be aware of emergency calls, despite the lack of a fire siren.

Chief Bill Wright Jr. informed borough council during a meeting this week that the siren and a backup generator at the fire station were damaged by a May 27 storm. A "power surge" may have made the alarm system and generator inoperable, he said.

"Right now, we don't have a siren, so we're depending on the Minitors (pager-like devices) and radios to alert the firefighters living in the borough," Wright said.

"They know it's down. I made sure to tell them to carry their Minitors or cells with them," he added.

Firefighters can be alerted to emergencies via their cellphones, Wright said.

Wright was uncertain when repairs will be made. Electricians and representatives of the borough's insurance carrier have been examining the alarm system, he said.

Wright described the siren system as old and hard to find replacement parts for.

In another matter, council has enacted an ordinance regulating door-to-door selling in the borough.

Under the measure, the borough will do background checks on sellers, who must get permits.

Various fees will be assessed for the permits based on duration of canvassing, borough secretary Corry Sheffler said.

Council enacted the ordinance as a safety precaution for residents, some of whom expressed complaints about door-to-door sellers, Sheffler said.

Sellers meeting the requirements can go door to door between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, Sheffler said.

Council has exempted school-related groups and other nonprofits from the permit and background check requirements, Sheffler said.

The borough will join Greensburg, South Greensburg and Hempfield in applying for a $1 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection to make repairs to the Greater Greensburg Flood Control project.

The project centers on part of Jacks Run along Route 119 in the communities.

The goal is to keep the flood channel functional until replacement can occur, officials said.

A state project to revamp the flood channel has been delayed by a lack of funds.

Bob Stiles is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-6622 or [email protected].

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