MILL HALL — The Mill Hall Volunteer Fire Company, which is facing decertification in the new year, was well represented during the borough council’s meeting this week as they aimed to tell their side of the story.

Members of the fire company, all volunteers, attended Tuesday’s borough council meeting in order to discuss the recent vote by borough council to decertify the fire company.

After council members enacted a training ordinance in June of 2022, it has been a struggle for members to get the necessary training. Communication between parties has also been an ongoing hurdle.

Company member, Donald Grant, was one of those in attendance. According to him, many of the members were unaware that a vote to decertify the company was going to take place during Nov. 28’s meeting. Fire Chief Tony Walker did let company members know via text message after that meeting.

However, with the recent vote, concerns are high within the borough. Residents and company members alike are concerned over longer response times of other companies and the overall safety issues without close fire services.

Since the borough includes two schools, Central Mountain Middle School and Mill Hall Elementary, they could also potentially be at risk.

The meeting itself became a back and forth between the fire company and council president Dan McCloskey, who held his stance for the required training.

According to company members, being unpaid volunteers makes it difficult to receive required training. Since they had a year and a half to get the training since the ordinance enactment, some training courses required were limited.

“Sometimes you need more than one class. You have your refreshers, all those things take time as they have to take the priority classes with the time you have. We’re not paid firefighters being paid to go to class. You have to work your 40 plus hour week jobs, have family time, do all the things you need to do with the firehose and have your training as well. Sometimes it takes longer to get that done,” Grant explained.

Company members supplied council members with binders complete with information for each of the four officers — the chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and the captain. The company currently does not have a lieutenant. The documents include information pertaining to officers’ certifications and what classes they are waiting to take, according to Grant.

Fire company members said the year window was not long enough to get the training. Attendants then urged council to find some kind of leeway to extend the time needed to get training.

So far, there are four classes scheduled for 2024, according to Walker. He explained to The Express how the classes operate. A lot of them are offered at different places all over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. However, the time that it takes and finding when the classes are offered are a hurdle for some members, he said.

“I do agree with what they (fire company) said for the time that it takes and when these classes are offered. Some of them aren’t very time or personnel friendly if you really want to go to the class, if you want to be an officer or join a volunteer fire company to help with the community. If there is something there (a class) that you want to take — you have to find the time to go do it,” he said.

In July of 2022, the fire company incorporated the ordinance’s requirements into their standard operating guidelines (SOGs). According to Walker, SOGs are what happens, or should happen, when out on an incident. For the most part, Walker told The Express he agrees with the ordinance’s requirements.

“They (SOGs) can be as simple or as in depth as you want them to be. The more in-depth they are, the harder they are to follow,” he explained. “You just want to put simple stuff in there — discipline, how to take in members, how they’re voted in, how you vote for officers, what offices you vote for — simple stuff like that.”

He did, however, believe a portion of the requirements should be taken out such as Firefighter I training.

“The requirements that the borough put in our ordinance, I agree with some of them now, maybe the Firefighter I — maybe some of that stuff they can probably take out — but you should still have certifications,” he said.

Firefighter I is a pro board test. The training involves going through all the modules of the essentials with a live burn. When they pass the test, they can go anywhere in the United States. If they want to rejoin a fire company somewhere, wherever they move or live, you would take that certificate to the fire department and show them.

Council did not take any action with the information presented before them.

As of Tuesday, they planned on reviewing the officer documents provided and will discuss with the company further during their monthly safety meeting.

The company will be working with the Department of Economic Development in getting a mediator between the borough and Bald Eagle Township during their next month’s regular meetings.