No stations will close in Shenango-South New Castle fire department merger

May 14--Under a proposed merger, Shenango Township's two fire stations and South New Castle Borough's one station would all remain open permanently.

"Absolutely no stations will be closed," said Assistant Shenango Township Fire Chief Brandon Rishel as he gave a Powerpoint presentation on the proposal at Thursday's township supervisors meeting.

The three stations involved are Shenango's East New Castle and Castlewood stations, and the South New Castle Borough Station.

Rishel said a new name would be chosen for the combined department, but that money would not be spent re-branding the buildings, vehicles and turnout gear because this would cost an estimated $60,000. New equipment, however would bear the new name.

If the merger is approved, the borough would have to impose a .5 (half mill) tax, identical to what Shenango is already paying.

The combined department would have one chief, elected for a two-year term, an assistant chief for each station, and other officers. Once elected, the chief would appoint the other officers.

An executive board would also oversee the department, and Rishel said he hoped there would be opportunities for service for any community member who wants to participate including junior members, and auxiliary and life members; not necessarily only firefighters and EMT's.

In addition, the emergency management coordinator hired Thursday by Shenango supervisors would provide emergency response and records keeping for both departments if the merger is approved. (See related story.)

Rishel said there would be a combined $8,000 in annual insurance savings between the two departments if they are merged, commenting that one fourth of the borough's budget now goes for fire department insurance. The merged department would also be eligible for more federal grant money than either of the stations alone.

He added that a central reason for the proposed merger is the increasing difficulty of getting volunteer firefighters willing to undergo 240 hours of training before they can do anything or 210 hours to be an EMT. He commented that the borough is in good shape with a higher level of firefighters with a Firefighter I certification than Shenango and that the township would contribute a tradition of being "an aggressive fire department."

Other reasons to consider a merger, he said, are increased call volumes and the greatly rising cost of fire equipment including the average $500,000 cost of a new fire engine and $10,000 for turnout gear for one firefighter.

He added that both fire departments "are extremely financially stable" and "there is no truth to the rumor that South New Castle is in financial straits."

He said many false rumors are floating around and he urged people to check the facts with fire department members or go to the department Facebook page or website.

Rishel said both communities stand to benefit from the merger, which would bring a higher level of emergency services, elimination of duplicate efforts, increased resources for fundraising, cost efficiency and better training.

A series of informational meetings is being held on the proposed merger. Once these are completed, Shenango's supervisors and South New Castle Borough Council members, and both fire departments will vote on the issue. If they vote in favor, an attorney will be hired to work out the details of the merger.

Ken Langford is chairman of the steering committee, which has been studying the merger.

(Email: [email protected])

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