Published: October 26, 2009 11:32 pm      

Richland tries to quell fire worries in Shade

JOHNSTOWN — Richland Township Fire Department’s new satellite station responded to its first Shade Township call Monday.

“It was a carbon monoxide alarm,” Assistant Chief Jason Ober said. “There were six volunteers who came out from the Shade station. It ended up being a faulty battery.”

Ober shared the news with Shade residents who came to Monday’s Richland Township supervisors meeting with concerns about the agreement for the Richland fire company to replace Central City Volunteer Fire Company as primary responder in the township.

Shade supervisors inked the Richland deal last week, saying negotiations had reached an impasse and that Central City was refusing to respond to emergencies in the township.

Shade resident Karen Sedewar of Shaffer Mountain Road asked the Richland supervisors who is paying for fuel used in Shade.

“Fuel was one of the big concerns we had with the arrangement we reached with Geistown,” Supervisor and former fire department president Robert Heffelfinger Jr. said. “We wanted to be sure the taxpayers of Richland Township were not going to be burdened over and above what is required for Richland.”

The agreement with Shade was modeled after the Geistown agreement reached last year and requires the township to pay for a percentage of fuel and maintenance costs based on a state-calculated formula, Heffelfinger said.

Urging Shade residents to give the new fire station and its local volunteers a chance, Heffelfinger expressed his confidence in the current Richland department’s leadership.

“I feel your pain,” Heffelfinger told Sedewar. “I understand your concern, but I promise these men will give you the best possible service they can. Your fire department is Richland Fire Department. They care about your homes, and your schools and your businesses.”

The new substation soon will be staffed with emergency medical responders through East Hills Ambulance, Ober told the audience. In the meantime, Central City fire company has agreed to roll medical teams to emergencies.

Citing “rumors” in the community, Shade resident Susan Lucas asked if Richland would respond to things like downed power lines.

“We are going to respond to every emergency we are asked to respond to,” Ober said. “We have a duty to all the residents we protect. We are going to guarantee somebody is going to respond.”