When the chiefs of the three volunteer fire squads serving Upper Merion came to the township’s board of supervisors, they were desperate.
We need some help, they said. Scraping together enough members to respond to emergencies was becoming difficult, especially during the day. The Montgomery County township’s population continues to grow and, with it, the number of calls to the all-volunteer companies based in Swedeland, King of Prussia, and Swedesburg. The volunteers respond to 1,200 to 1,500 fire calls each year. Meanwhile, in line with national trends, their numbers have been dwindling for decades.