THE FRIENDSHIP ENGINE & HOSE CO. has been serving Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, since 1780 and is one of the oldest fire companies still active in the state. Friendship is one of five VFD’s in the borough, but it is also the only one that has refused to bring its membership up to the minimum standards mandated by the Chambersburg Fire Chief.
In the mid-1970′s Chambersburg took over most of the financial obligations of the town’s 5 volunteer companies while combining four of them in two borough-owned firehouses. The 5th company still operates out of its own house. Chambersburg also owns most of the appratus and provides paid drivers for the engines. The McKinley St. station where Friendship operates out of is also used by the Good Will Fire Company.
The borough also requires the volunteer firefighters to meet minimum standards for training and personnel requirements such as background checks. Fire Chief William FitzGerald has given Friendship until April 10 to remove the fire engine that they own and until September 1 to qualify its members properly. Chief FitzGerald tells WHTM-TV:
“We’ve gotten past the point of talking to them about meeting the standards,” said FitzGerald. He says their volunteers do not meet national standards in things like CPR and Hazmat.
“Most of these things are not hard to get. We provide the computers — most can be done online,” said FitzGerald. But he says they also have not fulfilled bare minimum borough requirements.
“The biggest stepping stone is we need to have a full background check, a physical and we need them to sign an arson affidavit,” FitzGerald.
The time for talking is over after several months of discussions and no attempts being made by the volunteers to meet the minimum standards.
WHP-TV Ch. 21 has this video report:
The Chambersburg Public Opinion has MORE HERE.
Friendship Engine & Hose Co. WEBSITE. (Recommended, click on the History Page button.)
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