DREXEL HILL, Pa. (WPVI) — A volunteer fire company in Upper Darby briefly took itself out of service Wednesday night following a meeting with township officials about a policy requiring certified officers to staff fire apparatus, according to township leaders and the fire chief.
The Garrettford-Drexel Volunteer Fire Company, which operates under Upper Darby Township but is staffed entirely by volunteers, went offline for about 14 hours after the discussion, township officials said.
The township reported the company returned to service at 7 a.m. on Thursday.
Upper Darby Fire Chief Nicholas Martin said the meeting was meant to reiterate a policy that has been in place since 2020, requiring at least one firefighter operating a truck to hold a Fire Officer I certification.
“It was happening too frequently that we could not verify that there was a qualified officer in charge of the apparatus,” Martin said.
He added that the department has records showing 15 volunteers at the station who hold the required certification.
Martin also said the volunteers “were never told that they can’t go to calls and they were never told that they needed to go out of service.”
Township officials said concerns about compliance with the policy date back six years and that the matter remains under investigation. They emphasized that the certification requirements are in place for safety.
“We have the same interest at heart and that’s to keep people safe and have quality people report to fires so they can do the job that they’re trained to do,” Mayor Ed Brown said.
But some neighbors in Drexel Hill expressed support for the volunteer firefighters.
“I love the fire company. I love the volunteers. They’re amazing,” said Maria Mendez of Drexel Hill.
“They’ve been doing this for over 100 years. They’ve been doing what they have to do. We’ve never not felt safe,” said resident Nicholas Hoyt.
The volunteer fire company has not responded to a request for comment on the township’s policy.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.