LYCOMING COUNTY, Pa. — For the next three months, the Williamsport Bureau of Fire will assist on fire and emergency medical services calls in South Williamsport. The two fire companies will work together to serve the borough of more than 6,000 people.
"Simple lift assists, EMS calls, working structure fires, and any type of rescue services," said South Williamsport Fire Chief Tyler Dickson. "They are going to do that for us for those three months while we try to figure out a more long-term plan to fix our issues."
Just 50 years ago, Pennsylvania had nearly 300,000 volunteer firefighters. That number is now fewer than 40,000.
"Every year, we are seeing a decrease in our active members, and we are seeing even more of a decrease in members coming on board," added Dickson.
Chief Dickson tells Newswatch 16 that the situation at the South Williamsport Volunteer Fire Department has become dire. The fire department has only five active firefighters that respond to calls.
"Getting out on calls and stuff like that is hard sometimes, and we are scratching because we don't have the manpower to get out on some of these calls," said Lt. Antonio Blackson of the South Williamsport Fire Department.
"We are barely able to get things done, and that is only because of the help from other boroughs. Our neighbors at Duboistown, Loyalsock, and obviously Williamsport Bureau of Fire have all stepped up a lot," explained Dickson.
Chief Dickson works a 48-hour per week job on top of being South Williamsport's fire chief. He and his department are stretched thin, and he is calling for the regionalization of fire departments in Lycoming County.
"The state and county governments need to step up and put their hands in this and take some responsibility. They need to help the boroughs, the townships, and the smaller forms of government. They need to help these fire chiefs and these fire officers, or they are going to get someone killed."
The South Williamsport Fire Department is exploring options to help fix these issues in the future. One solution he proposed was gathering funding to compensate volunteer firefighters per call they respond to.
The South Williamsport Fire Department is looking for new recruits interested in serving the community. For more information, contact recruitment@southfire.org or visit SouthFire.org.
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