Fire Company Allocation Motion Tabled, Feelings Left Smoldering

The proposed motion to authorize allotment of the fire tax  from five fore companies to four was doused Monday night at the Bristol Borough Council meeting.

Volunteer firefighters on  both sides of the issue filled the council meeting room as fire trucks from fire companies 25 and 53 lined Pond Street.

In the end, in what was described by council members as a “difficult decision” to make in a short time the motion was tabled and a discussion of the issue was agreed upon with  a date  as yet to be determined as of Wednesday afternoon.

The decision to impact the five companies involved in Bristol Borough, reducing the overall tax allotment shared by the companies in the east ward section of the borough from two shared to one full share.

Concerns of  the public and officials led council to unanimously decide to table the Monday night vote led by council vice president Robyn Trunell, who said she thought it was time to consolidate all the companies in the borough, from five to two, with one in the east and the other in the west.

East ward Councilman Gregg Pezza said he needed more information and time from both sides in order to vote the motion and supported Trunell’s motion to table.

The idea to cut the allocation was  first brought up at council’s work session last week and caused controversy in the local fire community leading up to Monday’s council meeting.

President of the American Hose Hook and Ladder (Company 53,) Doug McCay explained prior the meeting that the two companies sharing the same structure on Farragut Avenue have different state and federal tax ID numbers and have generated their own income from renting space on the property to a community agency providing services to seniors.

Changing the allocation formula from where it is right now would turn “everything upside down,” in terms of finances for the companies, McKay said.

Eighteen years ago, the companies came together under one roof to consolidate resources and we think all of the companies in the borough should do the same, he said.

Mayor Pat Sabatini, prior to the issue being formally approached, said he recognized “it’s a hard move; a tough decision, but I think it’s the right decision,” to go from five companies sharing the finding distribution to four.

Chris Asplen, president of Asplen Associates LLC, the attorney representing fire companies 53 and 25, came before council during the public participation part of the meeting, “to ask some questions” on why the life of two fire companies might have the plug pulled Monday night with their “budgets cut.”

Asplen started his Q & A  with the letter that was sent to the fire companies on May 20, which was signed by the presidents three fire companies in the borough and composed by Mayor Sabatini.

Sabatini admitted that he did not meet and discuss the change in the funding formula with the two companies in response to Asplen’s questions.

The exchanges between the two at times on social media was described as the mayor getting the “third degree” from the attorney who is considered an expert in his profession on DNA evidence.

The main points of Asplen’s argument  can be summarized as:

• The May 20  letter issued to the fire companies is comprised of data collected, compiled, and disseminated by borough-wide Fire Chief Herb Slack
• Bristol Fire Company 51, which Slack is the chief of benefits.
• Fire Companies 53 and 25 have “expertise” in three areas the other fire companies in the borough do not posses-Auto & Marine Rescue, membership on the Bucks County Technical Task forec
• The move to cut the allocation of  the two fire companies separately and combine them, which members “volunteer” to serve, is a punishment and defeats fiscal innovation.

For a majority of the discussion, Slack answered questions posed to him by Asplen, despite the insinuations by counsel this move is being proposed Slack to benefit his company.

Slack said the information collected and disseminated in the May 20th letter to the fire companies (53/25), which included graphs and statistics came from the fire companies as part of their reports  borough companies provide.

The county doesn’t have this information or data, Slack said.

Asplen disagreed.

“I bet if I do a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the county, I can get this information,” Asplen said.

During the discussion and prior to the vote Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said he thought council was in a really bad position in terms of voting the motion.

“This isn’t an easy decision. I’ve said this numerous times this should have been worked out prior to a vote” said the council president.

Asplen told council, prior to the motion being tabled, “don’t table this, vote it down!”

After the meeting in front of the Municipal Building, with firefighters grouped off into separate sub cultures, DiGuiseppee was asked about the potential for taking the five fire companies in the borough and combining them, into two companies, perhaps.

“Yes I would,” he said, “because it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

Slack echoed the sentiment and said a study will occur on merging the fire companies.

“At the request of the mayor and council president, the Pennsylvania Dept  of Community and Economic Development (DCED) has been contacted to assist the fire department in determining the best course of action concerning re-alignment, station locations and long-range planning.  This will require input and commitment not only from the fire companies but also from the mayor and borough council.  I believe that most of the fire chiefs in town believe that the number of fire stations can be reduced.  The assessment should begin in the very near future.  The exact start date has not been set.”

Slack said this is the about the third time that a request for the a change in the allocation formula has been brought to council.

“No fire company will get less money than they did last year” a point made during the meeting and again on Tuesday afternoon.

Slack said on Wednesday, that 25 and 53 came together to form American Hose Hook and Ladder and he’s recognized the company as one since the consolidation in 1996.

Editor’s Note: An article published on June 5 “Bristol Talks About Consolidating Fire Companies” had several errors in it, namely that the consolidation of the fire company allocations moving from funds being distributed among five companies to four would save tax payers of Bristol Borough money. This  is incorrect and we apologize for the publishing of the incorrect information.