MACUNGIE, Pa. — Macungie Volunteer Fire Department's operating status was called into question and put to debate at Macungie Borough Council's meeting Monday.
Council unanimously decided to withhold funds after the fire company ignored deadlines for requests for an audit and other financial documents.
Council also discussed a motion to seek proposals from nearby fire companies for alternative fire coverage, which Borough Manager John Brown said he would pursue.
- Macungie Borough Council voted to withhold funding from Macungie Volunteer Fire Department following its failure to supply an audit and other concerns related to its management and performance
- Fire Chief Mike Natysyn pushed back, saying the company has not been adequately communicated with and that it may be being pushed out for financial reasons
- The fire company remains in service, but borough officials say they are going to explore other proposals from nearby fire companies
Council in February set an Aug. 1 deadline for a financial audit of the fire company but said the organization hasn't provided one.
"The motion was that the deadline for the audit would be August 1," Council President Ron Karboski said. "They received the request for the audit as far back as February.
"They had not made the deadline, council should not release funds and the borough should consider seeking fire services from another company."
Karboski said the council was told there was a depletion of firefighters from the company, which was in part provided by 911 dispatch officials, which communicated concerns with response times.
He said under the current budget, the fire company was allocated $50,000 from the borough, half of which had already been allocated for the year. The remaining $25,000, which would typically be released in October, is currently withheld.
The fire company is a separate entity from the borough government.
Karboski and Chief Mike Natysyn both denied rumors the company has been put out of service and said it still is the borough's designated fire protection department.
Seeking a path forward
Council discussed whether to schedule a public meeting with the fire company — an idea supported by Councilwoman Lisa Yeager — but decided not to.
"I think the public of Macungie should be here as well," Yeager said. "They need to hear from the fire department's mouth — do they really have 15 to 18 people working there? We don't know. They say they do but the last time we had a meeting, six of them showed up."
Councilman Carl Sell responded, "How long do you guys want to keep going in this circle? Cut your damn ties with them!"
Borough Council Vice President Greg Hutchison said, "I'd like to at least have a meeting and if they don't introduce anything, then I would say yes let's move forward."
Karboski said nearby fire departments are currently dually dispatched to calls alongside the Macungie Volunteer Fire Department. Which parallel dispatch is made is determined by Lehigh County Emergency Services 911 dispatch.
Asked for comment, that department redirected the request to the borough.
The fire company previously came under fire from the borough in 2017 after a borough-ordered report cited a lack of faith due to errors, disrespectful behavior and calls not being responded to.
The report similarly recommended using neighboring fire departments to fill voids and for the borough to take greater oversight.
Company acknowledges issues, pushes back
Macungie Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Natysyn at Monday's meeting insisted the company had an active force of 18 members, and had an average response time of five minutes, contrary to the insistence of the borough of lags in response.
"We don't even know what's going on, this just happened," Natysyn said. "Nobody gives us answers. We can't even get answers from counsel."
The chief said he suspected the borough's consideration was based on the perception of potential cost benefits.
"Honestly? They want to shut us down completely," Natysyn said. "They think it's cheaper to contract out."
He said a note on the fire company's door stating that a no-trespassing notice had been lifted is related to an ongoing police investigation.
An email from the Macungie Volunteer Fire Company signed "Members of Macungie Fire Dept" said, "We are not out of service, the President of Council is trying to shut the fire department down."
The email said he is "taking the advice from 3 members that quit the department" who lived outside the borough and had limited, if any, firefighting training.
"The question is, how do we move forward."Macungie Borough Council President Ron Karboski
"They also were telling people that everyone had quit," the email said. "We still have 18 members on the roster. The Chief has 51 years of fire service and the Deputy Chief has 25 years of service."
It also says the ordeal it is related to financial challenges since the coronavirus pandemic, and that the fire company does "have some problems, but we are working with grants and fundraising. The borough only gives us $50,000 to repair equipment and pay bills.
"Our respond time average is 5 mins to get a truck out, we also never missed a call in the last 6 years or had to have some[one] take a call for us unless we were at another," it says.
A similar message was delivered to the borough council, was acknowledged during the meeting, and included in the meeting agenda packet.
"We as a body decided that they were going to be more transparent with their financials," Karboski said. "Particularly because as we get ourselves in order with the nonprofits and the donations and so forth, we're expecting that of them.
"That hasn't occurred. The question is, how do we move forward."
Public comment highlights local concern
Megan Sell, owner of Mad Dogs Hot Dogs in the borough, voiced concern with how the fire department volunteers continuously conducted all traffic away from their business on Poplar Street during last weekend's Das Awkscht Fescht car show, despite having parking available at the restaurant and residents living on the street.
Karboski said it would be looked into and followed up on.
Resident Colt Hershinger praised the parallel calls, but worried about the relationship the borough had with the fire company, based on his knowledge of other municipalities.
"It doesn't sound like you two are working together at all," Hershinger said.
Dennis Fritz, a former fire chief, spoke of the need for oversight of the fire department because of concerning rumors he has heard about lack of service and internal issues.
"I really do think there needs to be some kind of investigation going on in this panel because all the people that have been paying their taxes for years, some of the tax money going to the fire department," Fritz said.
"They ask the annual fundraising for people on the year, where's that money going into? How's it being spent?"Dennis Fritz, a former fire chief
"They ask the annual fundraising for people on the year, where's that money going into? How's it being spent?"
The borough also was notified that the fire company currently owes $8,174.19 to Mechanics Plus Towing and Transport Inc. dating to January.
Correspondence from the company says that the towing has resulted in the holding of the fire company's brush truck until payment is received.
Storage charges of $50 per day began on July 27 until payment arrangements are made and invoices are satisfied.
A ladder truck was shown on the property of the fire company to be for sale.
