Understaffed Fire And EMS In Berwyn And Paoli: Solutions Proposed

TREDYFFRIN, PA –Tredyffrin and Easttown township officials Monday night heard five possible models of ways to supply fire and emergency services needs as the volunteer population ages and declines while call volume increases.

Consultant Dr. Robert C. Andrews, Jr., of Protection Development, Inc., San Antonio, Texas, provided a presentation on the second and final phase of a project to ensure fire and EMS service meet standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, a nonprofit that sets standards.

Berwyn and Paoli fire companies, with the assistance of Radnor Fire Company, serve the 29.9 square miles of the two adjacent townships on the Upper Main Line.

A total of 25 percent, or 1,475, of the 5,953 calls for fire and emergency services in 2022 in Tredyffrin and Easttown townships were for fires. The other 75 percent, or 4,478 were for emergency services.

“Now is the time to find a project manager if you want to get started,” Andrews said. “If your house is on fire, your business is on fire or your son is drowning, you want to have services 24/7.”

Andrews noted that the current system in the two townships has an excellent response time, but is strained. He said the fires are lower in frequency, but higher in stakes.

The proposals

The supervisors hired Anderson for $65,000 to prepare a report on a full-time career and EMS system for the townships.

Following a 20-week study, Andrews recommended five plans that involve hiring more full-time firefighters and staffing the three stations 24/7, and creating a Tredyffrin/Easttown district of professionals, including a payroll clerk and benefits administrator.

The two fire companies operate three fire stations: at 1485 Valley Forge Road, Wayne (near Chesterbrook and Valley Forge Park); 23 Bridge Ave., Berwyn; and 69 Darby Road, Paoli.

The study suggests a fire chief should earn $126,670 a year; $110,000 for a captain; and firefighters should earn between $89,000 and $76,000.

Annual pay for a certified paramedic is $17,000.

The National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, Mass., which Andrews relied upon in the study, sets standards worldwide intended to eliminate death, injury, and economic loss due to fire.

Andrews identified five staffing options, two of which meet the association standards. The most expensive cost is over $8 million a year for staffing and benefits, and the least expensive, which does not meet the national standards, costs $3.5 million annually.

Under the current operations, the total annual cost for services for the two townships is $3.9 million. There are 18 full-time employees in the two fire companies.

Here is the staffing level to date:

Paoli Fire Company

• 8 full-time
• 19 part-time
• Shifts 12 hours, 24 hours

Berwyn Fire Company

• 10 full-time
• 37 part-time, with six firefighters working full-time shifts
• Some 12-hour shifts, 24 hours

Equipment

Andrews recommended the purchase of a Quint 1, which holds up to 500 gallons of water and costs $1.5 to $1.8 million. Delivery takes about two years.

Executive Committee

The study calls for an executive committee made up of township officials, company chiefs and presidents, and members of the community.

Reactions

Thomas Torresson, president of the Berwyn Fire Company Board of Directors, said the fire companies have been asking for four people on duty 24/7 at each fire company.

“We do not have enough people,” he said. “If you are going to a fire scene, and you only have one or two people that is not enough. It’s dangerous.”

Torresson said he has been telling the supervisors every year about this staffing issue.

Torresson said he has four more months to finish his term as president and does not plan to run again.

Phoenixville Fire Chief Eamon Brazunas, who is also Berwyn's assistant fire chief and longtime volunteer, said a lot of the firefighters like to go out on calls, but hope to get to the point where funding is no longer an issue.

Tredyffrin Supervisor Mark Freed said the level of service today is excellent. He also thanked the consultant for doing an excellent job, laying out several options.

Easttown Supervisor Michael Wacey said firefighting is tough, and he understands the stress of the two companies being understaffed.