by Alex Lloyd Gross
A town hall meeting was held last night at the Newportville Fire Company. It was an opportunity for residents and voters to ask questions and learn about what the future will hold if Bristol Township Council votes to close the firehouse during their August 20 meeting.
Some members of twp council did show up. To say that they were not there or that Township Manager Randee Mazur was not there would be untrue. They showed up, looked at the 75 or so attendees and then left before anyone could ask them questions. They left before anyone knew they were there. In fact, during the opportunity to ask questions several people asked why they did not attend. When told they stood in the back and did not mingle or introduce themselves to their constituents only served to infuriate those that were there. When reached after the meeting, Mazur said “I went in to hear a little bit and left. I had a migraine”. She said the migraine started before the meeting.
Many feel that they came to gauge the climate and attendance of the meeting. When they saw the 75 people, they all left together. Many speculate that they left to attend the free concert at the Bristol Township building. Truth be told we have no idea of where they went after they left early. What they failed to see is that this meeting was live streamed and shared many many times, culminating in more viewers than the room could hold .
There is a plan in place to provide fire protection to residents of and visitors to Bristol Township but the council, nor Mazur would say what that plan is. Of course, part of it will divide Newportville’s fire district between the remaining four companies. Those companies consist of highly trained and dedicated emergency responders. But, they are coming a greater distance to help. It will take longer for a fire engine to arrive or a rescue truck to show up to a crash. That is guaranteed.
Acting Fire Chief Ryan Cummings dispelled some of the questions raised by Mazur and the Council. The company reported 25,000 hours spent volunteering. According to Cummings, the members were not sitting around the firehouse waiting for tones to drop. They rent a pavilion and banquet hall. It takes time to book pavilion events, clean, maintain. Members also do fundraising, such as car shows, movie nights, events geared towards people with Autism to include them in the community,. Not to mention station maintenance and taking care of the trucks.
He put everything on a table in front of him and told people to question it. See if the numbers add up. He also spoke about the fire study that is now antiquated. That study recommended a merger between Station 12/82 and 14, which is Third District. That fell apart. According to Cummings, no one at Third District will speak with them about this issue. That study also recommended a merger between Station 13 and 10/ That has not even been discussed.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com The crowd still asks questions 10minutes before the meeting is about to end about 9:00 PM. Some people left, many stayed.
During the meeting, residents did not know that Joe Glasson , a Township Council Member is also a member of Station 13. The entire crowd last night called that a conflict of interest and he should recuse himself.
Mazur cited as part of the reason for closure the fact that the fire company did not respond to 60 calls last year. 60 out of over 600. According to Cummings, there were problems with past administrations. Those responsible for those problems are no longer a part of the company. According to Cummings, Mazur released taxpayer money to fund Newportville and Mazur kept telling him that the company is “Moving in the right direction” . Mazur said she released the money because a court case with Fred Black, who was allegedly misappropriating funds was taking longer to resolve. “I got an email stating the company only had six months of operating funds so I released the funds, as the case would not resolve itself before the conclusion”.
Last month this publication wanted some answers answers to but did not get a call back. Instead, the township put out a press release saying they had a problem with their phone system. That was the same problem when several people called to voice their opinion on closing Newportville. They could not reach anyone. here is the township website on how to contact the administration.
One resident who did his homework said Mazur does not even live in the township. “She lives in Abington, why should she care about what happens in Bristol Township?” He also stated the township attorney Randall Flager does not live in the township. “He lives in Newtown”, the irate resident said.
Council will vote on August 20, 2026. Residents can speak out by going to township secretary and expressing an interest to speak. By law, Mazur said people that have an interest in speaking will have an opportunity to do so. It must be done before any vote is taken. The simply present themselves at council and express an interest to speak. This will be done before the vote is taken.
The plan in place for closing Newportville cannot account for multiple emergencies at the same time. It’s 3:00 AM, a serious DUI accident happens at 413 and Ford Rd. Third District is out on a different call. Who is the first fire company to respond? Bristol Borough? Bensalem? Hulmeville? Croydon? All fine companies with highly trained responders. All out of the area. All with a delayed response, if they get out at all.
Many attending that meeting call the closure of Newportville a disaster waiting to happen.
The author is a member of NFC