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Volunteer Organizations Helping Troopers At Odds

BARRETT TOWNSHIP — Tension is mounting among three volunteer groups feeding all the state troopers who have been involved in the search for accused cop ki...

BARRETT TOWNSHIP -- Tension is mounting among three volunteer groups feeding all the state troopers who have been involved in the search for accused cop killer Eric Frein.

All want to help, but one group feels as though it is being squeezed out by the others.

The Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company opened its doors to support troopers looking for Frein. They supported the Pennsylvania State Police for 37 days, but now they're at odds with the Red Cross and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organizations.

State police have made Barrett Township their headquarters for more than a month and the Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company has been there since the beginning, helping support the men and women searching for alleged cop killer Eric Frein.

"We've been the lead on cooking and serving and providing food and snacks for PSP from day one since I opened the doors to the firehouse," said Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Chief Grover Cleveland.

That's been 37 days of heartfelt work from these volunteers.

As the search continued, the fire department asked the state police to move their operations to the Barrett Township Elementary School, not knowing how long they could support this massive operation.

The Red Cross disaster relief team and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organizations also stepped in to assist.

"If it does last until May, would my staff be able to be there? I don't know, I can't answer that."

But the three organizations began butting heads and tensions heated up.

On Thursday, all of the volunteer groups met with Lt. Col. George Bivens of the state police, working to clearly define each group's role in helping the troopers.

And now the fire department says it will step aside. The department blames operational differences.

"It's difficult because we put a lot into this, we had a lot invested. Our hearts are in it, clearly. We were here as friends of the PSP," said Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company coordinator liaison Kristine Bender.

"It's our heart that was in it, we were here from day one. I don't want to point any fingers, but we kind of started it. So yeah, it's a little personal, I guess you could say."

These volunteers say they feel like they were pushed aside by bigger agencies, but they say the silver lining has been seeing just how much their community cares and how much they've been able to accomplish together.

"We could have never ever, we could have never done it. We're just a little fire company. And the support has just been literally overwhelming."

Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company volunteers say they will be continue to give out snacks and non-perishable items troopers may no longer get at their headquarters now.

Volunteers will be delivering those items to the Barrett Township Elementary School.

The Red Cross did not return our phone calls on  Thursday, but in a statement issued Friday afternoon, the Red Cross wrote:

"The American Red Cross NEPA Region has been working daily with the Pennsylvania State Police and the community for these last, very difficult, six weeks as the PSP has sought to catch the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Our partnerships within the community are vital not only to this effort to support the PSP but also in our on-going work with the community in general, and specifically, with the Barrett Township Volunteer Fire Company. We are proud to be a part of this strong community response to support the PSP at this critical time.

"The American Red Cross is supporting the PSP and following its direction as to the scope and nature of the support it wishes for us to provide. The Red Cross is here for the community."

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