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South Fayette Connect - Fall 2024 - Volume 9, Issue 4
Committee aims to bolster fire services
Four volunteer fire departments working together in South Fayette
By Andrea Iglar
Four separate fire departments serve South Fayette Township, but they share many of the same needs and challenges.
That’s why they have come together to form the Fire Services Advisory Committee.
BJ Supan, assistant fire chief of the Oak Ridge Volunteer Fire Department, said the committee formalizes cooperation among the departments to address shared challenges and set up a solid fire service for generations to come.
“One voice makes us stronger, and it makes sure we’re aligned as a group moving forward,” Supan said.
The committee, which started meeting monthly in September, will put forth recommendations to the township Board of Commissioners for initiatives that would bolster the community’s all-volunteer fire service.
The committee has seven members, including a township commissioner, a township staff member, an at-large resident, and representatives and alternates from each township fire department—Fairview, Oak Ridge, South Fayette and Sturgeon.
Last year, the township paid $16,500 to the educational, nonprofit Pennsylvania Fire & Emergency Services Institute to assess the state of fire service in South Fayette and suggest improvements.
The resulting report recommended forming the advisory committee “with a mission to ensure ongoing cooperation and sustainability of the volunteer fire companies.”
The committee will work on tasks proposed in the plan, such as forming an equipment replacement schedule, establishing a paid fire administrator and developing volunteer campaigns.
“Recruitment and retention are the big things we’re hoping to tackle,” said Supan, the committee secretary.
Based on research and input from the fire departments, the strategic plan outlines recommendations to address challenges such as declining volunteer numbers, increased cost of operations and equipment, and higher community expectations.
The fire departments are independent, non-government, entities with 100 percent volunteer labor. They rely on public donations, plus contributions from the township and other funding sources.
Committee president Craig Delaney, chief of the Sturgeon Volunteer Fire Department, said cooperation will ensure that South Fayette can keep a mostly volunteer fire service, “which obviously saves the taxpayers lots of money in the end.”
Fairview assistant chief Keith Dernosek, the committee vice president, initiated the fire services study when he was a township commissioner from 2020 to 2023.
He said greater cooperation among the four departments could poise them for eventual consolidation.
“Down the line, I think South Fayette needs one department, even though there are four stations," Dernosek said.
"And [we need to] start utilizing the money from taxpayers in such a way that it benefits them and it also helps us fire departments, whether paid or not paid.”
Ultimately, the committee aims to ensure residents receive quality fire service no matter where they live in the township, Supan said.
“We want to make sure all of our residents are getting the same level of fire service and fire protection,” he said. “And I think that starts with this group."
Fire Services Advisory Committee: southfayettepa.com/firecommittee.
