{"id":260165,"date":"2026-08-06T06:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/260165\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T06:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T06:30:15","slug":"hellertown-boroughs-allegiance-to-dewey-fire-co-may-end-saucon-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/260165\/","title":{"rendered":"Hellertown Borough’s Allegiance to Dewey Fire Co. May End \u2013 Saucon Source"},"content":{"rendered":"

A tense discussion took place at Monday Night\u2019s Hellertown Borough Council meeting as council members approved a motion to authorize the borough solicitor to begin drafting a service agreement, a lease agreement and a draft ordinance that would formally name Lower Saucon Fire Rescue <\/a>as the officially recognized fire company for the Borough of Hellertown.\u00a0If approved, it would mean an end to the borough\u2019s allegiance to Dewey Fire Company, which has been in existence and served the community since 1898.<\/p>\n

Council members repeatedly emphasized that Monday\u2019s decision represents the opening of a multi-month negotiation that will involve additional public input. There was no official action taken to change fire protection services at Monday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Fire Service Discussion Heats Up<\/p>\n

The centerpiece of Monday\u2019s meeting was council\u2019s move to formally begin the paperwork for a potential change in how fire protection is provided in the Borough of Hellertown.<\/p>\n

Because the agenda item generated public discussion earlier in the meeting during courtesies of the floor, Council President Lynley Solt read the borough\u2019s prepared statement into the record before the vote:<\/p>\n

\u201cHellertown Borough is currently negotiating an agreement with Lower Saucon Fire Rescue to expand the fire protection services within the borough,\u201d Solt said. \u201cLower Saucon Fire Rescue already provides mutual aid and support to the borough and Saucon Valley corridor along Route 78. The borough is proceeding with negotiations following careful evaluation of Hellertown\u2019s long-term public safety needs in light of current operational challenges facing Dewey Fire Company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solt continued: \u201cLike many volunteer fire companies, Dewey Fire Company has experienced declining volunteer participation and has struggled to maintain continuity in leadership roles. Despite efforts such as the stipend program and citizen outreach, participation has not grown adequately to provide the level of coverage needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

She closed the statement by emphasizing the borough\u2019s obligation to residents while acknowledging Dewey\u2019s history in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe borough\u2019s priority is to ensure reliable and uninterrupted fire protection for our residents and businesses. And we are committed to working collaboratively with both the Dewey Fire Company and Lower Saucon Fire Rescue to provide continuous fire rescue services while still honoring Dewey Fire Company\u2019s more than 100 years of dedicated service to the Hellertown community.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that council will be discussing this issue more in-depth at both of its September meetings and that citizen attendance and participation are encouraged at those meetings, which will be held Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Public Pushback<\/p>\n

The formal statement was prompted in part by a citizen comment earlier in the meeting from David Boulin, a Lower Saucon Township resident who said he regularly attends township council meetings and had come to Hellertown after seeing the agenda item circulating on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Boulin raised concerns, including the absence of a published agreement for public review and the financial condition of Dewey Fire Company.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of fire service, from what I understand, Lower Saucon has been providing that fire service or roughly 90 percent, as best I can glean in the few hours I had before I was due here to talk about this,\u201d Boulin told council. \u201cAnd are we getting paid back for that, meaning Lower Saucon taxpayers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Boulin also questioned whether Lower Saucon Township government officials were fully in the loop.<\/p>\n

Solt said the borough held a large joint meeting \u201cseveral months ago\u201d that included Hellertown Borough officials, Dewey Fire Company representatives, Lower Saucon Fire Rescue representatives and the township\u2019s solicitor, manager and two councilpersons.<\/p>\n

She said the meeting had \u201c15 people, 20 people in it,\u201d and that the direction coming out of that meeting was for the borough to proceed with direct negotiations with LSFR. Solt added that the borough also held a subsequent preliminary meeting with LSFR, and that the draft framework of the proposal had been shared with the township.<\/p>\n

Council Chimes In<\/p>\n

Councilman Larry O\u2019Donnell then put context around what the approved agenda item legally does\u2013and does not do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for people to remember that the Dewey Fire Company is a separate nonprofit and not directly controlled by the borough,\u201d he said. \u201cWe contract for professional services with Dewey Fire as we do with other nonprofits.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Donnell added: \u201cThis is definitely a complex issue. Volunteer everything is reaching critical points in a lot of sectors, and fire departments are definitely getting hit very hard\u2026 This is probably the first part of a large change in how fire services are rendered throughout the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Donnell also directly addressed the concern raised on Facebook that ambulance services would change. \u201cThis is not going to affect EMS services that are currently provided by Dewey,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is part of really just the beginning of an exploration. We\u2019re not authorizing any changes. We\u2019re not authorizing any cost outlays or anything like that. It\u2019s just kind of the beginning of a negotiation process.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Happens Next<\/p>\n

Council repeatedly pointed to the September meetings as the venue for more detailed public discussion.<\/p>\n

Solt noted that follow-up meetings with Lower Saucon officials are also scheduled. The borough\u2019s next council meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 8, since its Aug. 17 meeting was canceled.<\/p>\n

Hellertown Borough Council meetings are also livestreamed, with recordings available on the borough\u2019s YouTube channel. Click here to watch a recording of the Aug. 3 meeting.<\/a><\/p>\n

More information about Dewey Fire Company\u2013whose motto is \u201cNeighbors Helping Neighbors\u201d\u2013may be found on the company\u2019s website<\/a> and Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A tense discussion took place at Monday Night\u2019s Hellertown Borough Council meeting as council members approved a motion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,10493,10494,27942,110392,204,108764,205,10495,4237,2404],"class_list":["post-260165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-borough","tag-council","tag-dewey-fire-company","tag-fire-protection-services","tag-hellertown","tag-lower-saucon-fire-rescue","tag-lower-saucon-township","tag-meeting","tag-saucon-valley","tag-volunteer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}