Published: November 07, 2009 11:19 pm      

Fire coverage dispute divides boro, township

CENTRAL CITY — “Everything is Shade/Central City this; Shade/Central City that,” says Donna Russian, wife of fire Chief Dale Russian.

But in name only?

Brinkmanship over fire coverage between Supervisors Chairman John Topka and Russian’s husband, fire Chief Dale Russian – and their partisans – is tearing at the fabric of the town.

It’s a painful break.

Yet two weeks after Shade supervisors went with the Richland Fire Department for coverage, saving ­money, feelings remain raw.

“It’s almost put township residents against borough residents,” said Dave Russian, Donna and Dale Russian’s son and a member of the Central City Fire Department board.

“It has divided the community. It honestly has,” he said Thursday.

“Tensions have got to an all-time high for the past four months. It’s going to be some time with hard feelings among fire departments and residents.”

Topka won’t go there: “There’s some people that don’t agree with our decision, and some people who do. We’ve moved on.”

That split in Shade is about 50-50, judging by Tuesday’s election.

Supervisor Henry Zubek – who voted in the unanimous decision to sign with Richland – was re-elected with 48 percent of the vote in a three-way race.

Rick Blough, 35, of Shade, an assistant engineer with the borough’s fire department, said those results make him pessimistic that ruffled feathers will be smoothed.

“With this past election, I don’t see things ever getting better from that perspective,” he said. “People won’t listen to our side. Being a township resident, I don’t like getting remarks like I turned my back on the township, I turned my back on residents.”

Eric Pile, 30, of Central City, a lieutenant with the company, said, “Mostly, the hard feelings are against us for suspending coverage. I don’t get paid a red-blessed cent.”

Said Topka: “I can’t bring my emotions into it. We make a decision based on what we think is right for the town.”

Richland overture

Perhaps for its own reasons, the Richland Township Fire Department extended an olive branch to the Central City company.

“We sent them a letter and said, ‘If you’re interested in regionalization, contact us,’ ” said Jason Ober, Richland assistant fire chief. “It’s unfortunate the situation ended the way it did.”

Dave Russian said not so fast.

The Central City company might not even vote on the proposal. “We have not discussed the letter,” Russian said.

“He (Ober) is doing what he thinks is in the best interest of his department and his community. We’re doing what we think is in the best interest of our department and community.”

Central City’s primary coverage area had been 71 square miles, including the township; it now is 1 square mile: The borough.

Nearly three-quarters of the calls came from the township.

That the company won’t be called out as much is fine with Pile. “That means people are safe,” he said at the station Friday.

A good chunk of the company’s fundraising likewise came from township’s 2,900 residents.

They now have their own satellite fire station to take care of.

‘We’ll be around’

This all begs the question of whether the borough company – with a primary coverage area of just 1,160 people – can survive in the long run.

“The future of the Central City Fire Department? I don’t think there is one,” Ober said bluntly.

Topka agreed. “Look what happened to Menoher Heights. They closed their doors,” he said.

“Geistown and Solomon Run merged with Richland and are doing well. To close your eyes to it, I think that’s foolish. They (Central City) might be forced into it.”

Russian differs.

“We’re going to focus on protection of Central City Borough,” he said. “In a way this will actually save us money for operating costs, on fuel, and we’ll have more time to concentrate on training. We’ll be around for awhile.”

The company has been talking about what Russian calls “large-caliber fundraising” with other nearby companies including Windber, Scalp Level and Shanksville. And the company said in October it had $125,000 in the bank.

The company has 55 members and eight pieces of equipment.

“We have to be self-standing for the first half-hour of a call,” Russian said. “That’s why we have the manpower we do, the equipment we do.”

Central City likely will sell its tanker.

“We really don’t need a tanker truck,” Russian said. “The only reason we had a tanker was because of Shade, which is not protected by hydrants.”

The Shade satellite station also may be drawing personnel from Central City’s force.

Of the 14 members of the new station, Topka said, eight at one time belonged to the Central City company.

“These guys have been trained through the Central City department,” the Shade chairman said.

“Their only concern is the safety of this township,” Topka said.

Mutual aid?

But fire response might not be as complete as it could be, with both sides turning a cold shoulder to the situation.

Russian said Windber and Shanksville would back up a call in the borough. “Shade, to my knowledge, is not on the call list,” he said.

Topka said Central City will be called because of a mutual aid agreement signed in 1980.

“Whether they choose to respond is something I can’t answer,” he said.

Central City’s refusal to go to a Sept. 30 flue blaze in the township sharply escalated the conflict. The company didn’t respond to a car wreck as recently as Friday.

“When you ultimately decide to stop service, people get that butterflies feeling,” Russian said.

Stoystown and Hooversville also are on Shade’s call list.

“We’re very happy with Richland and with the support we’ve received from them,” Topka said.

Ober supports more regional cooperation.

He said that Franklin County, with a population greater than that of Cambria County, has 18 fire stations. Cambria has 60.

“What we’ve become accustomed to in our region is not necessarily in the best interest of the taxpayer,” Ober said. “In regionalization, people have to lose their hat (title).”

Chief Russian was out of town last week and unavailable for comment.