Upper Darby fire service is getting a look over as it faces a continual decline in volunteers, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.

Upper Darby Council approved plans last week to have a third party, the Center for Public Safety Management, look at Upper Darby’s fire and EMS service.

It did a similar assessment of Haverford Township’s all-volunteer fire companies.

Upper Darby uses combined volunteer/paid fire departments but there’s a shortage of volunteers, impacting fire and EMS response. The study would look at how to supplement gaps in the volunteer service.

“These departments are suffering and they are hiring. The pool of candidates is going down. The availability to train people is going down so we are at a crossroads,” said Upper Darby interim fire chief Brian Boyce.

Boyce said volunteerism is at its lowest level in the department’s history, with a lack of volunteers to fill weekend shifts.

That has meant career firefighters moving from a five-day schedule to a seven-day schedule.

Larger fires have stretched the department to its limits, especially since other volunteer stations around the county have the same problem.

Find out more about the volunteer firefighter situation in Upper Darby in the Daily Times.