Published: September 04, 2009 11:58 pm      

Fire service dispute hits zero hour

CENTRAL CITY — The Central City Volunteer Fire Department and Shade Township supervisors are facing a deadline of today to resolve a dispute involving how much money the township will pay the volunteers for fire protection.

The Central City volunteers will stop providing fire service in the township if no agreement is forthcoming by today, James Elder, the Pittsburgh attorney representing the firefighters, reiterated Friday.

“If I don’t have a contract in my hand by (today), fire service will be suspended,” Elder said, repeating a statement he made Aug. 28.

Eight months after the firefighters agreed to provide fire protection to the township for $17,200 this year, they have accused the township supervisors of breaking the agreement.

Elder contends that the one-year deal agreed to in January also included Shade’s making a “substantial contribution toward capital equipment,” a promise he says has not been kept. A fire service contract specifying those terms was sent to Shade, but the document was not signed, the attorney said.

Because the capital equipment contribution remains in dispute, firefighters now are requesting $26,840 for their service, Elder said.

He said the supervisors have sent letters to township residents pointing out that the board had provided $350,000 to the fire company over the past 15 years. But Elder said that figure includes annual contributions of $9,600 for foreign fire insurance (insurance provided by companies not headquartered in Pennsylvania) and $4,800 for workers compensation payments. Those categories provide nothing for capital equipment, he said.

Eliminating those two categories leaves $134,000 – or about $8,933 per year – for capital equipment and the like, Elder said.

Scott Bittner of Somerset, the township’s solicitor, said Friday that nothing had changed.

“The supervisors feel they are adequately supporting the fire company,” he said.

Bittner noted that the fire company had accepted the township’s contribution this year and said it has a responsibility to provide fire protection.

He said the supervisors have asked the Stoystown, Hooversville and Windber volunteer fire departments to service the township should Central City stop providing service.

Central City is providing service to about 80 percent of the township, with the Stoystown and Hooversville companies being first responders to the remainder of the service area, depending on location.

Dave Fox, Somerset County 911 coordinator, said Friday that should Central City stop providing service to the township, those two companies will be called first, with the Windber company as the initial backup.