By 2035, Hempfield anticipates having seven fire stations spread strategically throughout the township.
Conceptual maps presented Saturday during Hempfield’s annual fire forum showed some of the neighborhood stations would be folded into the Hempfield Fire Department as part of an ongoing transformation of the volunteer service.
“These public investments are needed and necessary,” said township manager Aaron Siko. “This is not a sprint, this is a marathon. We need to continue to work towards moving this forward.”
Hempfield has been working for years to bring its community volunteer fire departments under one umbrella, referred to as a “nonchartered” process in which they become absorbed into the Hempfield Fire Department. In return, Hempfield manages the station and pays all of its expenses while volunteer firefighters continue to respond to calls.
During the fire forum, township officials offered a glimpse into the possible future locations of its fire stations through 2035 as more charters are dissolved. They discussed call volume, how a paid driver system is improving call response and the status of aging fire apparatus.
About 20 people attended the forum — including a handful of firefighters who dashed out to respond to calls three times in less than two hours.
Three stations — North Hempfield, Midway-St. Clair and Grapeville — have dissolved their charters and five others are working through the process. Two — Bovard and West Point — haven’t expressed interest.
Hempfield at one time had 12 fire departments.
The conceptual plan presented Saturday showed a few of the current station buildings being folded into the township department over the coming years and, by 2035, seven stations numbered 500 through 506 spread throughout Hempfield.
Siko said those proposed adjustments are based on call data.
Officials are planning for a new $6 million station in the western part of Hempfield on Arona Road that could be open in 2028. A proposed headquarter station at the new municipal complex off Mt. Pleasant Road and Route 30 isn’t funded yet.
“We would hope to have the headquarters built and operating by 2032,” Siko said. “To support that, we continue to look at grants and opportunities that exist.”
By that year, the conceptual plan includes Station 503 in the central part of the township, a combination of the Fort Allen and Carbon stations, and Station 504 in the east, a combination of Hannastown and Bovard, he said.
A Station 505 in the southern part of the township is included on the map. A state Department of Community and Economic Development study about the efficacy and efficiency of fire stations in New Stanton, Youngwood and Hempfield is wrapping up, officials said.
“We’re hoping to get that data back and realize that that station, most likely, will sit somewhere in and around those three municipalities and that would replace the current operating station, moving Midway and its location south,” Siko said.
Grapeville remains listed on the 2032 map until it moves as Station 506 in 2035 toward the Route 30 corridor. That leaves a southwestern section of the township without a dedicated station, something Siko said could be considered later.
“It’s a balancing act to having stations where we need them to effectuate efficient operation but also not just building stations to build them,” he said.
Supervisors this year added a 3-mill fire tax that will bring in about $1.6 million in 2026 to fund the fire department, doubling township property tax bills.
They also doubled the budget for part-time paid drivers to $200,000 for 2026, which will equal 10,000 hours of staffing, said Deputy Fire Chief Benjamin Rudd. Two more firefighters will be hired in the coming weeks, to bring the total available for daylight shifts to seven.
Part-time drivers respond to calls during weekday hours, when most volunteers are busy working.
Township supervisors praised the work of volunteers for not only responding to calls, but getting trained and participating in community events. Supervisor George Reese, a former fire chief, said officials have been talking about the direction of the volunteer fire service for years. He’s proud of the progress being made.
“When it comes to this fire service, we’re focused,” he said.
Supervisor Bill Bretz said township residents are lucky to have a group of dedicated volunteers.
“We can have the greatest fire stations in the world, we can have the newest apparatus, but we don’t have anything if it’s not for you folks that are out there, committing yourselves to protect our community,” he said.