MACUNGIE, Pa. — It's looking less and less likely that the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department will be providing the borough with fire protection services in 2024.
On Monday, borough council instructed solicitor Patrick Armstrong to request revisions to a draft memorandum of understanding with Lower Macungie Township and prepare an ordinance to transfer fire service to the Lower Macungie Township Fire Department.
Lower Macungie Fire Department currently covers the township and the borough of Alburtis.
In August it presented its services to Macungie after the borough's volunteer fire Department failed to produce a requested audit of its finances and assets by Aug. 1. Borough council issued worries about delays in service and a depletion of trained firefighters.
Council also voted to withhold $19,750 in Volunteer Firemen’s Relief Association funds from the borough company, citing that it may instead allocate money to other departments that responded to calls in town.
Borough council President Ron Karboski said council has not been opposed to helping the fire company, but can't do that without the organization being transparent.
"Without the audit, we just don't know where they stand financially," Karboski said. "As much as we may want to improve the fire company, that doesn't happen overnight. And the time we invest into making that happen could take over a year or two and nobody comes to council to offer to revamp the fire company.
"So with that, we have to ensure we have adequate fire service."
The borough fire chief at a previous meeting said he suspected the borough's consideration was based on the perception of potential cost savings.
"Honestly? They want to shut us down completely," said Chief Mike Natysyn. "They think it's cheaper to contract out."
Borough Manager John Brown said the borough has learned of more than $37,000 in unpaid invoices held by the fire company, including one of nearly $8,000 in 11 outstanding invoices from Mechanics Plus Towing and Transport. That's for towing and other services dating to May that resulted in the company's holding of a fire vehicle that continues to grow charges of $50 per day until paid.
After Councilman Greg Hutchison on Monday requested forwarding the correspondence about the debt to the fire company, Karboski pulled out a large and nearly overflowing binder, saying it contains the paper correspondence with the fire company that had already occurred this year.
Hutchison then took back his request.
Some discussion occurred on the borough government potentially alleviating some debts, but no action was taken.
A letter sent to the borough by David Nosal, chief of the Lower Macungie Fire Department, stated that two of his members were hired by the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department to provide work at the 2023 Wheels of Time car show and jamboree in late August. Nosal said the township fire department had not yet been paid despite a check of more than $7,000 issued by Wheels of Time to the Macungie Fire Department having been cashed.
Under recent borough budgets, the fire company was allocated $50,000 annually split into two halves. Action from council in August put the remaining $25,000 for the year on hold to the fire company.
Seeking to replace
Armstrong, the solicitor, noted the borough would pay the Lower Macungie Fire Department $90,000 a year under a proposed three-year agreement, with the ability for the fire company to request up to a 5% increase each year.
Macungie is mostly surrounded by Lower Macungie, with its southeast corner bordering Upper Milford Township, which is served by a separate fire company.
Original presentations to the borough sought $70,000 in annual contributions, and stated that there would be no plans to move into the borough, instead servicing the municipality through the Lower Macungie's operational centers in Alburtis, Wescosville and Brandywine.
"We have assets around them that would allow us to easily help protect the borough," Lower Macungie Fire Department President Joe Thompson said in August.
"We already run around 700 calls a year, so adding another 70 is not really going to mess us up too much."
Lower Macungie Fire Department officials said an annual third-party audit is performed and provided to partner municipalities alongside an annual budget submission. A relief funds audit also is done by the state every three years.
The Macungie Volunteer Fire Department was allocated $50,000 in the borough's 2023 budget before funds were withheld.
Armstrong said it isn't clear what would happen to the assets of the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department if the borough swapped services.
Lower Macungie Township Manager Bruce Beitel said the agreement with the borough would encompass items such as getting "appropriate compensation" for the township-provided workers compensation policy and reporting requirements.
Both fire departments are volunteer organizations separate from their local governments, but the Lower Macungie Fire Department gets money and shares ownership of various firefighting equipment with the township.
If contracted with Macungie, the Lower Macungie Fire Department would not provide traffic control services for Macungie Memorial Park events, as the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department has done.
Public sparring
During the Nov. 6 borough council meeting, Karboski made a public statement addressing the chief, members of the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department, and the public from the podium, expressing that he too was a member of the community with property concerns due to concerns about the fire company.
Karboski said Macungie Fire Department board President Tim Keller said he was going to attempt to turn around the company, potentially hiring a manager to address poor retention. He said the borough company had only eight firefighters, with some residing far enough away that it could impact response times.
"The internal problems with the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department became apparent and the blame game surfaced and was communicated to council," Karboski said. "The borough now has been informed about concerns related to misconduct, lack of financial controls and other issues and had a basis for concerns about financial mismanagement, and poor and no response times."
"The borough now has been informed about concerns related to misconduct, lack of financial controls and other issues and had a basis for concerns about financial mismanagement, and poor and no response times."Borough council President Ron Karboski
Karboski emphasized that he and council have the "highest respect for the first responders and any of those volunteers who have committed themselves to fighting fires on behalf of the borough." He said his opposition is toward the leadership and administration of the company.
Karboski said the borough was notified that a member of the fire company was suspended, and that three firefighters resigned, including two assistant chiefs.
"Later that same day, I received a phone call from Lehigh County 911 dispatch," Karboski said. "The director stated that there was concern about the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department and their ability to respond as he became aware of significant reductions in manpower, along with the department having no chief and no assistant chiefs."
A temporary plan was enacted by the county to dispatch nearby fire companies in addition to the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department due to concerns with potential responses.
"This council has kept themselves exceedingly abreast and alert and always conscious of the current and past issues with this fire company," Karboski continued. "Their decisions and their continuous eagerness to resolve all this problem has been unanimous and steadfast, wanting to ensure that the citizens of Macungie are protected.
"It is our understanding that the fire company receives public funds, and their officers therefore have a responsibility to you and us to conduct the department's financial affairs in a businesslike manner and to maintain sufficient financial records to support the propriety of their financial transactions."
Fire company concerns
Craig Neely, an attorney representing the fire company, said the decision to contact the county about concerns related to service was made unilaterally by Karboski rather than by council. But he acknowledged that personnel and financial issues had been occurring, and documents had not been given to the borough as requested. He said the fire company believes county dispatch took the company off of mutual aid response as a result of the communication with Karboski.
"But my response to that was to make sure they get everything in order, so that they can present to them to the community and to borough council," Neely said. "There were some issues, they have, with council's help, I do have to say, got everything in order. They've got all their officers set up, they've got the financial statements audited by Haffner Associates in town here and got those to the borough and nothing appears wrong there."
Neely said at the Nov. 6 meeting that the fire company roster has at least 15 responders.
"The reasons that Mr. Karboski cited in his email to the county about taking the department off mutual aid in terms of the ability to respond with personnel, that's been resolved, and I sent a letter to council on October 23, asking that department be restored to mutual aid. I didn't hear anything back," Neely said, also stating that this could be an opportunity to ask questions directly to the fire company in a bid for greater transparency.
"We've addressed every single one of those issues."
Armstrong responded saying council has discussed the fire department in its open meetings "for the last several months" and not behind closed doors, save for the conversation with the county dispatch discussed by Karboski in his statement earlier in the meeting.
"My understanding of that is it's to ensure that departments are dispatched, and at that a department would respond to the fire within the borough. Nothing was talked about taking anyone off mutual aid," Armstrong said.
'It just breaks my heart'
Macungie's Chief Natysyn said Karboski "knocked off station 15 to respond anywhere outside of the borough completely" by email, and he said he was told that by 911 dispatchers. But Natysyn admitted when pressed that he saw no email directly requesting the county to take the fire department off of mutual aid.
Karboski said if they received a message from the fire department outlining its requests, the borough manager would clarify their requests to the county, but they have no control over the county dispatch's actions.
"It just breaks my heart to see this happen," said Tim Schantzenbach, a former chief, at the Nov. 6 meeting. "Mike could be the best chief in the world, he could be the worst chief in the world, but if all of his people that are responsible for the finances and keeping the records and keeping the training, and all that stuff are not here anymore, What's he supposed to do? How does he resolve that? I don't know, except find other people to take over.
"If the personnel are not there to respond, or to financially, as [Karboski] said, responsibly manage the department, then I'm afraid council has some tough decisions to make."
He referenced a report made in 2017 outlining issues with the fire company, and urged council members to review it as well. The reportcited a lack of faith due to errors, disrespectful behavior and calls that went unanswered.
The report also recommended using neighboring fire departments to fill voids and for the borough to take greater oversight.
