Middletown Township will be expanding the hours that the paid fire service operates in the municipality.
Advertisements
The Middletown Township Board of Supervisors voted last week to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Teamsters Local 107, which the township’s fire inspectors and firefighters are members of, to expand to 12-hour shifts.
Starting in early July, the Middletown Township Department of Fire and Emergency Management will staff a fire engine 12 hours per day on weekdays and holidays.
Middletown Township Manager Stephanie Teoli Kuhls said the union and the township supports the plan that will increase the hours covered by the paid fire crew.
Advertisements
The Middletown Township Department of Fire and Emergency Management transitioned in 2022 to 10-hour days, but the additional hours will help fill gaps when the township’s four volunteer companies have the most trouble staffing trucks.
Supervisor Dana Kane said the expanded hours made sense and would supplement the volunteer firefighters during busy hours.
Advertisements
Mark Antozzeski, the township’s chief of fire and emergency services, said the expansion in hours came after discussions with the union and township administration.
The township budget calls for hiring an additional firefighter and moving to the 12-hour schedule.
The expanded hours were recommended in a fire service report the township had prepared. The report called for creating a combined department that relies on both paid and volunteer crews. Antozzeski was brought on to implement that plan.
Advertisements
In the first quarter of 2023, the paid fire crew responded to 136 calls for service. The majority of the calls came in between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Antozzeski said at the May supervisors meeting that the majority of tasks handled by the crew are fire and safety inspections of businesses within the township.
Advertisements
Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies
