By Stephen J. Novak
The Eastern Express-Times
FRANKLIN TWP., Pa. — The impetus to combine two township fire companies at the end of the month came from the volunteer firefighters, say company and township officials.
Starting March 1, Asbury Fire Co. No. 1 will join Franklin Township Fire Cos. No. 1 and 2 to create the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department — a merger that leaders say will alter the companies’ internal structure but not the emergency response time.
The move had been discussed on and off for years, but Mayor Mark Blazska said the heads of the companies approached the township recently with the desire to make it happen. The transition must be finalized with a township ordinance that was introduced earlier this month.
“For them to both fundraise and deal with (volunteer issues), it doesn’t make any sense,& Blazska said. &It seems like the two groups, at least from what I’ve been hearing, are all for it.”
Sonny Read, who will be the new department’s chief for at least the remainder of the year, agreed it would be easier for the township to fund a single department. The mayor said it would also help consolidate equipment.
“I think it’s going to work out very well for the members as well as the community,” Read said.
The three fire stations in the Asbury, Broadway and New Village sections of the township will remain in use, Read and Blazska both said. A news release from the department said its coverage of Franklin Township and the Valley section of Bethlehem Township, Hunterdon County, will continue unaltered.
The combined department will have more than 60 members, all sharing vehicles and equipment, according to the news release.
Blazska credited the departments with coming to the agreement on their own. While there is no pressure from the county or state to consolidate volunteer organizations, he said the move follows a trend in other emergency agencies.
Among the examples Blazska cited were the Washington Township, N.J., police mergers with Washington Borough and Oxford Township in the past year and an ongoing study of the feasibility of a joint police force between Hackettstown and Mansfield and Independence townships.
“I think the world has changed and the territorial walls have come down a bit,” the mayor said. “People are just saying this makes so much sense.”
Hunterdon County Emergency Management Coordinator Laurene Fleming could not comment on the specifics of the Franklin Township merger but said it is not all that unusual for volunteer departments to work together.
“From a regional standpoint, if you’re having issues with your personnel or apparatus, it’s not uncommon to pool your resources,” Fleming said.
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