It’s not unusual for firefighters from Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, Etna and Millvale to respond to the same calls.
Limited manpower and logistics make it crucial for the departments to support each other. Many believe it should go a step further.
Discussions of a potential merger are in the early stages.
“The same folks are running calls with each other and training together,” Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services (SAVES) Chief Mike Daniher said. “It was time for everyone to sit down and have a chat.”
Fire officials and municipal heads have met to begin gathering data. Meetings will be scheduled monthly as details progress.
So far, it’s all been positive, Daniher said.
“Each borough’s population and fire department is similar,” he said. “We’re all river communities. It makes sense to talk.”
Recruitment and funding challenges are a growing problem faced by departments across the country.
Mergers, shared management or consolidations are becoming more common as departments try to find ways to survive.
In late March, three Sewickley-area departments moved forward with a plan to merge the Leetsdale Volunteer Fire Department, Fair Oaks Volunteer Fire Protective Association and Big Sewickley Creek Volunteer Fire Department.
In January, O’Hara made a surprise announcement that the township’s two longtime fire departments will merge.
The Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company and Parkview Volunteer Fire Department will operate as one in response to operational needs, staffing trends and financial considerations, O’Hara Manager Julie Jakubec said.
Millvale volunteer Fire Chief Jim Tunstall Jr. believes merger exploration with SAVES and Etna is a positive move.
His department has 22 active firefighters. They aren’t struggling — for now.
“It’s getting harder and harder to get members, to keep members and to make sure we adequately staff the fire trucks we’re getting out the door,” Tunstall said.
“While Millvale right now is doing well, we as a group feel that maybe now is a time to start looking at what we can do that will better serve the borough down the road while we have some control over it.”
Tunstall said he doesn’t want to end up in a position where the department isn’t able to provide service. Looking for solutions at that point would be too late, he said.
A merger of the three departments would seek to improve efficiency, response times, funding and overall operations, Daniher said.
For the past year and a half, volunteers from the three departments have trained together and participated in ongoing education.
Aspinwall Councilman Lou Curcio believes a merger offers great opportunity.
“It will help secure both of the top issues of manpower and financial stability for the future,” he said. “Adding these two departments to ours guarantees our speedy response times and commitment to providing a great service to our residents.”
Etna Manager Mary Ellen Ramage said council, along with Mayor Robert Tuñón, was invited by fire Chief Greg Porter to a meeting with SAVES leadership and local government officials.
“It was to introduce us to the organization and let us know that the Etna Fire Department is seriously considering this as a sustainable option,” Ramage said.
Council would be part of formal discussions because of insurances carried on the fire department’s behalf, annual financial contributions and more.
But, Ramage said, fire personnel would lead the decision on whether a merger makes sense.
“It was an informational meeting only, and general questions were asked as to how response times in our community would be affected, etc.,” Ramage said. “The economy of scale was highlighted, not only in financial resources, but in the administrative duties.”
A merger would eliminate duplicated administrative work, which “takes up a great deal of these volunteers’ lives,” Ramage said.
“Alongside training and fundraising, it is a huge undertaking,” she said.
“The meeting was informational in nature but was very positive.”
Finances, equipment and other data have yet to be reviewed.
In Millvale, half of the department’s $100,000 budget is paid by the borough, which currently is in a financial crunch.
A judge on Feb. 3 approved Millvale’s emergency request to borrow $1.9 million so it could pay overdue debts while budgets are straightened.
The borough also is seeking a new borough manager/secretary.
Tunstall said he is more focused on operational details than finances of a proposed merger.
“Whatever provides the best service to Millvale, that’s what matters to me,” he said.
Sharpsburg and Aspinwall joined forces in 2023, and by all accounts, it has strengthened the department by increasing response time and helping with recruitment, Daniher said.
That merger resulted in a reconfiguration of officers, with one fire chief, a deputy chief and assistant chiefs at each municipal station.
Tunstall said he’s not concerned about losing his title as long as it benefits his borough.
Millvale already responds to fire calls in Etna, Sharpsburg and Aspinwall.
“There’s been a mutual aid agreement in place for quite some time,” Tunstall said. “It’s not a big step to look at this merger. It kind of made sense to us. We do a lot of things together now.”
The departments are expected to meet this month to continue discussions.