A controversial decision in Fayette County that raised concerns about emergency response times has been vetoed.

After the borough council voted unanimously on Monday to remove the South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Company from responding to emergencies in the borough, Mayor Chris Wiltrout vetoed the decision during a meeting on Tuesday. Fire and emergency calls will once again be handled by the volunteer fire company instead of crews from Connellsville Township.

“I think that is the right thing to do to veto the issue,” the mayor said on Tuesday. “I think that we need to have some more conversations.”

This reportedly all stemmed from an alleged lack of transparency, mostly about finances. According to South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Company’s chief, neither the department nor the residents were notified ahead of Monday’s vote.  

“I got a phone call that they shut the fire hall down,” South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Jeremy Grubbs said before Tuesday’s vote. “They passed it at the meeting. They voted to shut the fire company down. They’re having another fire company come in and do fire protection, which is seven to nine minutes out.”

Chief Grubbs said tensions began when a borough council member, who was also part of the fire department at the time, was asked to resign from the department. 

The chief says he believes the department became a target after that resignation, saying borough leaders tried to shut down the fireman’s club. The chief says the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board was called to investigate multiple times. He said that on the seventh visit, inspectors finally told him they found no violations.

Grubbs said he believes that when that didn’t work, the borough then moved to remove the department from emergency response, citing compliance concerns, which he disputes.

“What do you mean we’re not in compliance?” Grubbs said. “It all comes down to politics.”

Some residents say they were worried that the change could mean longer response times in critical emergencies.

“At the end of the day, it just boils down to a lot of people being put at risk, and I feel like it’s all over personal matter,” resident Floyd Leonard said before Tuesday’s meeting. 

The mayor said he will meet with three fire company representatives and three borough council members to discuss what happens next. 

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