UPDATED: Newportville Fire Company Says It Faces A Potential Shutdown

UPDATED with comment from the township:

Original Story: The Newportville Fire Company said in a statement Sunday afternoon that Bristol Township Council is expected to vote on ending the volunteer company’s service to the municipality.

The fire company leadership said the council’s vote on the matter is scheduled to take place at the August meeting.

The township and council didn’t immediately have comment. However, the township is expected to respond on Monday.

Earlier this year, an ultimatum was issued by township officials that called for Newportville merge with the Third District Fire Company by a June 1 deadline.

The June deadline came and went and officials made no public statements on the fire service in the weeks after. No merger occurred.

Newportville officials said Sunday they had concerns over the potential closure, adding the township’s action comes despite a two-year internal effort to resolve municipal worries about the fire company.

“During that time, we have corrected and stabilized our finances, implemented accountability measures, improved operations and significantly reduced response issues,” the fire company said in an official statement.

The volunteer company also alleged that repeated requests by its leadership and legal counsel to meet with Bristol Township officials to discuss alternative solutions have gone unanswered.

The conflict over the company’s future stems from struggles with a shrinking volunteer base, its rate of unanswered emergency calls, and financial issues.

Former Newportville Fire Chief Frederick Black was charged with allegedly misusing station funds last year. While the company remained operational and cooperated with investigators during the probe, the township had already begun drafting backup measures.

According to a February letter from Township Solicitor Randy Flager, statistical trends and the “serious mismanagement of Township tax dollars” left the municipality “without options.”

Sources said in recent days that the fire company has made noticeable improvements in membership, answering calls, and its finances since the start of 2026.

Township officials have met with the fire chiefs of the companies that cover Bristol Township to review emergency coverage logistics and discuss the potential impact of completely removing Newportville from the dispatch rotation, sources said.

Fire protection in the municipality of roughly 54,000 residents is split between the all-volunteer Croydon, Edgely, Levittown No. 2, Newportville, and Third District fire companies. Daytime, weekday coverage is supplemented by the career staff of Bristol Township Fire Rescue, which operates as part of the emergency management and fire marshal’s offices.

Fire Marshal Kevin Dippolito and township fire officials previously put together a contingency plan to ensure coverage of Newportville’s response area if the station closed.

Newportville Fire Company No. 1 has been in operation since 1927 and has two stations – one on New Falls Road and Bath Road. The Bath Road station, which is the newest, is where the active fire apparatus are based.

The fire company is asking local residents to attend the upcoming August council meeting to voice their opinions before a definitive decision is made.

“We believe eliminating a fire company should be a last resort, after all alternatives have been explored and meaningful discussions have taken place,” the company stated.

A 2020 fire study done by state officials suggested that Newportville and Third District merge.

Past talks between the fire companies and township regarding a shared station eventually stalled, officials said in 2022.

Each of the township’s fire companies owns its equipment, trucks, and buildings. Bristol Township provides worker’s compensation insurance and funding through grants and tax revenue.