A report recommends creating a regional fire department that would come from a merger of the South Media and Garden City fire companies in Nether Providence with the Swarthmore Fire and Protective Association.
The new fire department would cover Swarthmore, Nether Providence, and Rose Valley.
A drop in volunteers, aging equipment, and “financial limitations” have led to the report recommendation, writes Torin Sweeney for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Longwood Fire Chief A.J. McCarthy presented his report to Swarthmore and Nether Providence in December.
“Just because you haven’t had a disastrous fire doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” McCarthy said during a presentation to Swarthmore Borough Council Dec. 1. “I can tell you right now you’re not prepared for it.”
Swarthmore Mayor and Fire Chief Conlen Booth called the report “a vital first step” toward a merger.
A complete merger could take between one-and-a-half to three years, he said.
Nether Providence passed a resolution supporting the merger effort.
The drop in volunteers has been the biggest challenge.
South Media and Garden City use only volunteer firefighters, while Swarthmore has some paid personnel.
South Media has had trouble providing a constant response, while Garden City has had more volunteer success.
Read about the difficulties faced by the three fire companies in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
