East Lansdowne Fire Company has announced it plans to close by the end of the year, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times.
The company has had a difficult time maintaining sufficient staffing of volunteers, particularly during daytime hours.
East Lansdowne Fire Company posted a letter on social media Friday that said the borough has declined to provide funding to hire part-time or daytime staffing and notified the fire company it will terminate its association with East Lansdowne Fire Company entirely following a vote by East Lansdowne Borough Council on Monday.
The all-volunteer fire company was founded in 1911.
The company has talked about the need for daytime help in the past decade to cover low-volunteer periods. Borough officials acknowledged the problem, but funds have never been found to hire anyone.
The fire company said that over the years, income from annual fund drives has dropped to nearly nothing.
Future fire protection will come from surrounding fire companies, which are also struggling to find volunteers.
The Upper Darby Fire Department, which uses both volunteers and paid crews, has seen its coverage area grow over the years. It surrounds East Lansdowne and provides first due response coverage for Millbourne and parts of Darby Township.
Read more about the East Lansdowne Company in the Daily Times.
