Monroeville Council members voted to advertise a service agreement with the municipality’s fire companies, but the unanimous approval did not come without debate.
“I don’t know that we’re ready to bring this agreement to council,” Councilman Eric Poach said.
The service agreement, which expired in 2025 and typically covers a five-year period, lays out the relationship between Monroeville and its volunteer fire companies, including municipal support for new vehicle purchases.
“The biggest challenge for fire apparatus has been the cost,” Poach said. “Our latest vehicle purchase has been in the fleet for about a year and a half. It was $1.5 million. That same truck today would cost $2.7 million. That’s huge, and it’s not something I think we should jump into with both feet. I think we need to make sure council is all on board and understands everything before we’re locked into a new agreement.”
Monroeville fire chiefs said they dialed back their plans for vehicle replacement during discussions with council and administration.
“When we proposed replacing five trucks, you guys came back to us and said that was a little steep,” said Corye Ramsey, chief of Monroeville Volunteer Fire Department No. 6 and chair of the fire chiefs committee. “So we’ve been trying to figure out the best way to move forward.”
Ramsey and others cited a study undertaken by M.K. Zonfrilli-Lang, assistant municipal manager.
“We have a truck that’s costing us a lot of money to maintain, which was at the top of our priority list to replace,” Ramsey said, referring to a large truck that requires two drivers.
“The study showed us that truck is killing us on maintenance,” Ramsey said. “It does us no good sitting in the garage waiting for a second driver. It was a good idea when it was purchased, but it’s not working now. It’s in decent shape, so we’re hoping to get a good amount of money for it.”
In lieu of replacing five vehicles, Ramsey said fire chiefs proposed replacing vehicles at the No. 1 and No. 5 stations, with the hope of replacing a third at the No. 4 station if enough money comes in from the truck sale. There is a little more than $4 million in Monroeville’s capital improvements budget for fire truck replacement.
“After 15 years, a truck generally starts costing you a lot of money,” said Matt Beltz, chief of the No. 1 station. “We have a lot of trucks that are past 15 years, and the maintenance records reflect that. But if we can get these three priority vehicles replaced, we’ll be in a much better place.”
Councilman Bill Krut asked whether the real issue was one of manpower.
“I’ve heard from many people that we have far fewer volunteer firemen than we did in the past,” Krut said. “But we still have the same amount of equipment. I’ve heard that two departments may be considering merging. If that happens, won’t they be getting rid of some of their equipment? I think we should be addressing the real issue, which is manpower.”
Longtime firefighter and former Councilman Ron Harvey, who has negotiated seven previous service agreements with Monroeville officials, said the municipality should focus on keeping fire equipment up to date.
“The agreement provides the borough’s support, which firefighters need now more than ever,” Harvey said. “The municipality can provide the equipment and fuel and let the chiefs worry about the manpower issue.”
Poach said he had no intention of holding up the approval of the service agreement.
“I’m just asking for the time to understand it,” he said.
Some in attendance felt he already had plenty of time to understand it.
“Everyone’s been working on this since October or November,” Monroeville resident Emily Hoffman said. “Everybody’s aware that this was going on. If you didn’t do your research, that’s on you, not them. If you vote to advertise this, the public will be looking at this agreement just as you are. Once it’s advertised, we’ll all have the time to do our homework and look at it before a vote happens.”
“Our chiefs are trying to answer double the amount of fire calls they’ve had in the past,” said Harold Katofsky, a resident and former fire chief. “The agreement is fair across the board, and the fire chiefs have agreed to it. Why do we keep procrastinating?”
Poach took issue with the implication he was stalling.
“There’s more funding in the VFD and EMS budget lines than there’s ever been before,” he said. “So don’t imply that there’s part of this I don’t support. Monroeville has been in the business of funding fire equipment since 1970. That’s not going to change. But I have a ton of questions I’d still like to ask so we can make sure the fire departments are performing as best as they can.”
Council ultimately voted unanimously to advertise the fire service agreement. It will be an item on the April 7 citizens’ night and the April 14 council meetings.