It wasn’t too many years ago that firefighters bristled at the mention of consolidation.
“There’s a difference now,” said Brad James, assistant chief at Eureka Fire and Rescue in Tarentum. He’s been in the emergency service business for 40 years.
“It doesn’t matter much anymore whether you’re for it or against. It’s going to be the only way to survive.”
Tarentum Council will launch a state-led study of its three fire departments — Eureka, Summit Hose and Highland Hose — to learn how to plan for the future.
“Nobody wants to see their fire departments dissolving,” Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said. “This is just a conversation to see what we need to do to have a good fire service. How do we budget for new equipment that costs more than $1 million?
“At some point, the engines will fail, and we don’t have a plan for replacing them.”