Bristol Township Council Votes Against The Community To Close Newportville Fire Company
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Last night at 7:02 PM the Bristol Township Council started their meeting and it was packed with people. The people were upset that a resolution to close 99 year old Newportville Fire Company was on the table. 90 minutes later, those people would leave pissed. The township used smoke and mirrors to justify the closing of the fire company.
Township Manager Randee Mazur presented the council’s position with a slide show that lasted less than five minutes.. To anyone without knowing the stories behind the presentation, it appears the company is a not fulfilling the needs the community. She pointed out to a fire at an apartment complex last year that it took the fire company about 20 minutes to get a truck to the fire. “People jumped out of windows” she said.
The response time to get a truck there is true. What is also true is that a chief officer was there fast and that apartment complex is home to some members. Those members went inside the buildings and rescued people. Had they gone to the station to get the truck out immediately, the results could have been much worse than 12 destroyed apartments.
This is just one example of using skewed data to railroad the closing through township channels. In fact, the four remaining companies had a closed door meeting to discuss how they could take over Newportville’s District. All of the four chief’s said it could be done. All of the firehouses will get more money from the township and grants.
Mazur said she could not promise a timely response under her new plan. It’s quite possible that a firetruck not be on scene for more than 10 minutes after the initial dispatch. Consider this scenario: It’s after 7:00 PM”
Station 14 goes out for a bariatric cardiac patient in their area. They need manpower for a lift assist. As they are working to save the patient, a high speed crash happens at 413 & Ford Road. People are trapped. Who is the next closest company to respond? Is it Croydon, Hulmeville, Bristol Borough or even Bensalem? There is a firehouse with two trucks inside that could have responded that now sits out of service, around the corner from that intersection thanks to the actions of township council.
An antiquated study of the fire service recommended the merger between Newportville and Third District as well as Edgely and Levittown 2. Communication Breakdowns resulted in that merger not happening and Third District’s refusal to work with NFC. Edgley and Levittown Two have no plans to merge. Councilmen Joe Glasson is also a member of Levittown Two.
The alleged mismanagement of funds by former Chief and Treasurer were addressed by the fire company when they discovered them.. An internal audit was initiated The audit found that the alleged abuse started a few years before. Fred Black was elected chief in December 2024 before the audit committee met. As soon as the audit showed things that could not be explained, township officials were notified. Fred Black was removed from his role as chief immediately. He did not serve as chief after the audit committee went to the township. Contrast this to former township employee Jessica Ireland, who is accused of misappropriating the township credit card, it was the township that did not do a timely press release until after Delaware Valley News broke the story.
That fact was bought up during the public comment before the vote. The room was standing room only.. Not everyone spoke.Some just came to listen. No one, not anyone said the township was moving in the right direction and the firehouse should be closed. Quite the opposite. Council was called egregious and disingenuous by many of those that spoke.
Many of those people that stood up to speak had been helped by the Newportville Fire Company who came to help them in times of need. Many felt the township handled this poorly. In fact, the only way some people found out was when the fire company did a door knocking campaign.
During the public comment, it was noted by many in the audience that Councilman Patrick Antonello was interrupting those that spoke. At one point, he snapped that he should be allowed to answer a question or respond to an accusation. Perhaps the better way would be to answer those questions after the person finished their remarks, unless the person wanted a back and forth. His term expires on 12/31/2027.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com Councilman Patrick Antonello talks during the meeting.
He was 100 percent correct when he said moving to a paid department would be costly. His mind was made up before he even walked in the door.
Township council made statements akin to having NFC members move to different fire companies. Younger members with less than five years in the fire service may join, Members who have been at NFC for 10 years or more left the meeting feeling sick, betrayed, hurt, stunned, and unwanted. Anyone that thinks there will be a mass influx of those members is a fool. Council dismissed a petition to keep the Newportville Fire Company open without reading it.
The vote was Craig Bowen and Raymond Blaylock voting to keep the fire company. Both either live in the district or have businesses in the district. All other council members voted to abolish the fire company. During the meeting, there was a fire call that summoned members into service, while the chief, Ryan Cummings was about to speak. Those members left for the call, a tree down on a road. They left the council chambers to applause. People asked council to hold the vote .They came back to find out the vote was not held and they have no firehouse to report to anymore.
The fire company will continue to respond to calls for the next 30 days. Here is the township council contact page and when their term is up.https://www.bristoltwppa.gov/347/Township-Council.
Ed Note:The author is a member is NFC