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Evan Brandt , [email protected] 07/03/2003
UPPER POTTSGROVE -- When Mike and Susan Smithson’s Pine Ford Road garage caught fire Saturday morning, the first firefighting equipment to arrive did not come from the Upper Pottsgrove Firehouse, which is just a few miles away.
In fact, the fire company never showed up.
"If my wife and neighbor hadn’t been out there with a garden hose, I would have lost my whole house," said Mike Smithson.
Jon Downey, president of the Upper Pottsgrove Fire Co., said the absence of a response to the fire at the Smithsons’ was largely a result of the fact that "the chief was on vacation and everybody else was at work. It was one of those fluke weekends. Obviously, we do regret not getting there."
The first truck to arrive was from a Boyertown fire company.
Also making the fire, which was confined to the garage and in which no one was injured, were trucks and volunteers from Pottstown, West End and Gilbertsville.
And although at least one Upper Pottsgrove volunteer arrived along with his "primary" fire company from Pottstown, no Upper Pottsgrove fire truck arrived.
Upper Pottsgrove Fire Chief Jason Tattershall is not surprised.
"It’s the first time it’s happened in a while, but people better start getting used to it," said Tattershall, who took over as chief of the struggling fire company March 1. "Things are getting pretty bad."
He said the No. 1 reason no Upper Pottsgrove fire trucks made it to the fire is that nobody wants to drive them -- "they are not mechanically sound," Tattershall said. "They break down on calls constantly. Every one of the three trucks we own was in the shop last month."
"The brush truck breaks down every time we take it out, the tanker’s throttle is stuck, so who wants to drive a truck with a stuck accelerator? And the pipes in the (pumper) engine are broken," Tattershall said.
"So why would any of our guys want to rely on fire equipment that could put their life in danger?" he said.
"Some of our equipment is older than a lot of our volunteers," Downey confirmed.
Tattershall does not hesitate in laying the blame for the condition of the trucks at the feet of the township commissioners.
"They don’t support us and everything we ask them for one little thing, it takes an act of Congress to get it. They do everything they can to fight us," Tattershall said.
"I think some of the residents are starting to figure out what’s going on, and if the commissioners don’t start doing something about it, they won’t be in power for much longer if you know what I mean," he said.
"And we can’t buy a new truck because we have no collateral because we sold the firehouse to the township for $1," Tattershall said, adding that he was not involved with that decision and did not agree with it.
"Other townships put aside money in a fund to pay for new trucks, but not in Upper Pottsgrove," said Tattershall.
A new fire truck would cost the fire company at least $400,000. "I’d have to sell a lot of hoagies to come up with that kind of money," said the chief.
Upper Pottsgrove Township Commissioners’ Chairman Ken Iatesta pointed out that the fire company does get the proceeds of a township wide fire tax, adding "we’re still paying for one of those fire trucks."
Nevertheless, said Iatesta, "we’re looking into ways to get them some new equipment."
Commissioner Julie Gallisdorfer serves as the township’s liaison with the fire company.
She said with a dwindling number of volunteers and an escalating cost to firefighting training and equipment, the fire company is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances.
"It’s not like people are breaking down the door to volunteer," Gallisdorfer said.
The number of volunteers who actually respond to fires is down to nine and Gallisdorfer said, frankly, "there’s no guarantee something like this won’t happen again."
She said the increase in the fire tax adopted this year raised only $40,000 and is specifically earmarked for new radio equipment required by Montgomery County.
Mike Smithson said he understands and is sympathetic with the constraints under which the volunteer department has to operate.
"I’m not trying to beat anyone down. I really feel for those guys," Smithson said. "I mean the guys who came out to our house were a super group of guys."
But the bottom line should be whether fire protection in the township is threatened, said Smithson.
"I can’t believe anyone is willing to accept this," he said. "I don’t know who is responsible for this, but somebody’s got to get moving on this."
"My neighbors are all pretty upset about this," said Smithson. "They’re pretty scared."
"They should be," said Tattershall when told of Smithson’s comment. "We’re scared to take that equipment out on the road."
UPPER POTTSGROVE -- When Mike and Susan Smithson’s Pine Ford Road garage caught fire Saturday morning, the first firefighting equipment to arrive did not come from the Upper Pottsgrove Firehouse, which is just a few miles away.
In fact, the fire company never showed up.
"If my wife and neighbor hadn’t been out there with a garden hose, I would have lost my whole house," said Mike Smithson.
Jon Downey, president of the Upper Pottsgrove Fire Co., said the absence of a response to the fire at the Smithsons’ was largely a result of the fact that "the chief was on vacation and everybody else was at work. It was one of those fluke weekends. Obviously, we do regret not getting there."
The first truck to arrive was from a Boyertown fire company.
Also making the fire, which was confined to the garage and in which no one was injured, were trucks and volunteers from Pottstown, West End and Gilbertsville.
And although at least one Upper Pottsgrove volunteer arrived along with his "primary" fire company from Pottstown, no Upper Pottsgrove fire truck arrived.
Upper Pottsgrove Fire Chief Jason Tattershall is not surprised.
"It’s the first time it’s happened in a while, but people better start getting used to it," said Tattershall, who took over as chief of the struggling fire company March 1. "Things are getting pretty bad."
He said the No. 1 reason no Upper Pottsgrove fire trucks made it to the fire is that nobody wants to drive them -- "they are not mechanically sound," Tattershall said. "They break down on calls constantly. Every one of the three trucks we own was in the shop last month."
"The brush truck breaks down every time we take it out, the tanker’s throttle is stuck, so who wants to drive a truck with a stuck accelerator? And the pipes in the (pumper) engine are broken," Tattershall said.
"So why would any of our guys want to rely on fire equipment that could put their life in danger?" he said.
"Some of our equipment is older than a lot of our volunteers," Downey confirmed.
Tattershall does not hesitate in laying the blame for the condition of the trucks at the feet of the township commissioners.
"They don’t support us and everything we ask them for one little thing, it takes an act of Congress to get it. They do everything they can to fight us," Tattershall said.
"I think some of the residents are starting to figure out what’s going on, and if the commissioners don’t start doing something about it, they won’t be in power for much longer if you know what I mean," he said.
"And we can’t buy a new truck because we have no collateral because we sold the firehouse to the township for $1," Tattershall said, adding that he was not involved with that decision and did not agree with it.
"Other townships put aside money in a fund to pay for new trucks, but not in Upper Pottsgrove," said Tattershall.
A new fire truck would cost the fire company at least $400,000. "I’d have to sell a lot of hoagies to come up with that kind of money," said the chief.
Upper Pottsgrove Township Commissioners’ Chairman Ken Iatesta pointed out that the fire company does get the proceeds of a township wide fire tax, adding "we’re still paying for one of those fire trucks."
Nevertheless, said Iatesta, "we’re looking into ways to get them some new equipment."
Commissioner Julie Gallisdorfer serves as the township’s liaison with the fire company.
She said with a dwindling number of volunteers and an escalating cost to firefighting training and equipment, the fire company is doing the best they can under difficult circumstances.
"It’s not like people are breaking down the door to volunteer," Gallisdorfer said.
The number of volunteers who actually respond to fires is down to nine and Gallisdorfer said, frankly, "there’s no guarantee something like this won’t happen again."
She said the increase in the fire tax adopted this year raised only $40,000 and is specifically earmarked for new radio equipment required by Montgomery County.
Mike Smithson said he understands and is sympathetic with the constraints under which the volunteer department has to operate.
"I’m not trying to beat anyone down. I really feel for those guys," Smithson said. "I mean the guys who came out to our house were a super group of guys."
But the bottom line should be whether fire protection in the township is threatened, said Smithson.
"I can’t believe anyone is willing to accept this," he said. "I don’t know who is responsible for this, but somebody’s got to get moving on this."
"My neighbors are all pretty upset about this," said Smithson. "They’re pretty scared."
"They should be," said Tattershall when told of Smithson’s comment. "We’re scared to take that equipment out on the road."
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