Millcreek Township officials said public safety is being compromised after the Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department responded to only 50% of its 911 calls over the past 18 months.
The township’s paid fire department warned that Belle Valley could lose its volunteer certification if the department fails to sign an operational agreement with the township.
The ongoing controversy between the township and Belle Valley has persisted for more than two years. Belle Valley remains the only volunteer fire company in Millcreek Township that has not signed an agreement permitting paid staff to utilize its station, fire trucks and equipment.
Millcreek Fire Department Chief Michael Cliff delivered a letter notifying the volunteer fire department of a material breach of its agreement with the township. The notice cited reduced response rates, refusal to share equipment and improper record keeping.
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Cliff said he has attempted to work with the volunteer station without success. “I’ve made several requests to utilize some of their assets,” Cliff said. “They won’t even say yes or no; they just ghost us and unfortunately we just can’t continue this way.”
Millcreek Township Supervisor Kim Clear addressed the issue of unused equipment during the dispute. “Those fire trucks and facilities that were purchased with taxpayer money and with resident donations are sitting in the fire station when they could be used to answer calls,” Clear said.
The Belle Valley Fire Department released a statement calling the letter a threat to its volunteers and accusing Cliff of public attacks and pressure. “We, again, call on the Millcreek Board of Supervisors to come to the table and have a serious discussion about returning the paid fire department to its original purpose: supplementing the Township’s volunteer fire departments, not replacing them or forcing them to surrender their assets,” the department stated.
To read Belle Valley’s full statement, click here.
The township’s paid fire department is currently operating out of a temporary setup at the East Side Township garage on Old French Road, utilizing a construction trailer and a fire engine from West Lake. Without that temporary setup, the closest station is in Kearsarge, which is an additional 10 minutes away.
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Operating out of the garage is not a permanent option, according to fire officials. Cliff explained that failure to reach an agreement would force township leaders to make alternative operational arrangements. “We would need to with certainty either decide are we building a new fire station or are we going to utilize Belle Valley’s station,” Cliff said. “We would probably have to look at potential mutual aid agreements that we could predictably have an adequate response in the Belle Valley area.”
The Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department has 15 days to meet with township officials and 30 days to comply with the township’s records management system.
If the volunteer department does not comply, Cliff indicated he will advise township supervisors to take formal action. “My recommendation to the supervisors is going to be to terminate their agreement, which will then de-certify them as a volunteer fire company in the township,” Cliff said.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WJET/WFXP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WJET/WFXP staff before being published.