By Jen Samuel
Daily Local News
NEW GARDEN, Pa. — Avondale and West Grove fire companies are ready to begin a new chapter as one united and consolidated regionalized department.
Members cast “yes” votes in favor of the merger on Nov. 22 . The change impacts 10 municipalities.
| MORE: To merge or not to merge: Tough times prompt difficult discussions for volunteer departments
For Avondale, 71% of members voted “yes” to the merger and 73% for West Grove.
“Any member that was in good standing, that was in the room that day, had the right to vote,” said Guy Swift, president of the Avondale Fire Company.
The merger means Avondale Fire Company, with a budget of $2 million, and West Grove Fire Company, with a budget of $3 million, will form a $5 million consolidated partnership. Collectively they will be home to approximately 125 firefighters and emergency medical service providers.
“Our target date to operate as one entity will be Jan. 1, 2027,” said Neil Vaughn, president of West Grove Fire Company.
The consolidation process will take a year to complete as logistics are worked out and legal processes are completed. The county, state and courts must approve the merger through various steps.
Collectively the new regional department would cover one of the largest service areas in Chester County: 120 square miles.
This coverage includes full fire and rescue support and emergency medical services for New Garden, New London, Penn, London Grove, Franklin, London Britain, West Grove, Avondale, a portion of West Marlborough; and Londonderry with coverage limited to full EMS only.
Chester County is home to 43 fire companies that serve the 73 municipalities.
Operating since 1904 and incorporated in 1905, West Grove Fire presently covers 80 square miles, including municipalities that fall within the Avon Grove School District with the exception of Avondale. The company provides EMT services for Londonderry.
Founded in 1887, Avondale Fire presently covers more than 30 square miles, including Avondale, New Garden and the southwest portion of West Marlborough.
Both Avondale and West Grove fire companies cover portions of London Britain and Franklin in Landenberg.
Avondale relocated its operations from the borough to New Garden in 2007.
The fire company has approximately 50 firefighters, including career staff and volunteers, 13 emergency medical technician staff members, and 22 part-time EMTs, who are also firefighters.
There is a fire station along Route 41 in Avondale. In 2024, the Avondale Fire Company responded to 538 fire and 1883 EMS emergencies.
West Grove Fire Company operates stations in West Grove Borough, New London and London Britain Township. In 2024, the company responded to 863 fire and 3,663 emergency medical service calls.
West Grove has 75 volunteers including firefighters. There are 50 EMTs and approximately 30 of those are also firefighters.
“If you’re coming in to volunteer, whether you’re directing traffic, whether you’re here as an administrator, you’re still a volunteer,” Swift said.
Consolidated vision
Thanks to a grant made possible by state Sen. John Kane, D-9, of Birmingham, the fire companies were able to hire Rob Brady of ROBB Consulting, an expert in emergency services organizational mergers, consolidations and strategic planning who worked with West Grove and Avondale fire companies on the plan to merge.
Brady said cooperative partnerships are being formed around Pennsylvania and across the nation. He said the two biggest factors impacting these trends are the decreasing number of volunteers, those pursuing careers in emergency services, and increasing costs.
Besides support the Avondale and West Grove merger, Brady is working on similar projects across the Commonwealth including the Cocalico Area Fire Department in Lancaster County, Bensalem Fire Rescue in Bucks County, Upper Chichester Fire Department in Delaware County and Baldwin Fire Rescue in Allegheny County among others.
“Pennsylvania is the birthplace of the fire service in North America,” Brady said. “The first volunteer fire company in the United States was the Union Fire Company, sometimes called Franklin’s Bucket Brigade, formed in Philadelphia in 1736. There are over 2,400 fire departments and 700 ambulance and rescue squads in the state.”
Pennsylvania law mandates that municipal governments fund local emergency services.
“In Pennsylvania, the legal responsibility to guarantee the delivery of 9-1-1 fire and EMS service belongs to local government. However, that can take many forms,” Brady said. “When a new cooperative partnership is formed, the local governments may or may not participate. In the case of projects I work on, I highly recommend the local governments engage in the process and become partners in the delivery of fire and EMS services. If they do so, it can take the form of some type of advisory committee, board, commission, council of governments, or authority to assist with governance, oversight, and funding of the fire and EMS system.”
Brady lauded the people who provided emergency services for their neighbors.
“The men and women who chose to serve, whether volunteer or career, are a unique group of individuals from all walks of life who are willing to lay their lives on the line day and night for the safety of their communities,” he said.
The greatest challenge facing firefighters today, he said, is that the number of people becoming part of the emergency services profession is decreasing while costs are rising.
“Over the last 12 months, I have had the privilege to work with an incredible group of volunteer and career members from both Avondale and West Grove fire companies,” Brady said. “They never lost sight of the goal of the project: to create the next chapter in the history of two proud fire companies in order to provide the highest level of fire and EMS services to the communities they serve.”
Unique area
Both Swift and Vaughn were born in Chester County.
“My personal opinion, we’ll continue to answer the calls the way we do,” Swift said. “And knock on wood, I think we do a pretty damn good job.”
He’s been a firefighter for 47 years. Swift joined Avondale Fire Company in 1987, and this is the end of his fourth term as president.
Chester County is home to 43 fire companies that serve the 73 municipalities. ( Jen Samuel — Daily Local News )
Vaughn grew up in Malvern. He joined the West Grove Fire Company in 2018, becoming president in 2021.
“The area is diverse,” Vaughn said. “Between the mushroom industry and the equine industry and the growing population.”
There’s also an Amish population in the coverage area.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Vaughn said. “You have that urban component, you have the suburban component, you have the rural component.”
Vaughn said firefighters must be prepared to fight fire in an agricultural property, on a mushroom farm, in a large horse barn, or a very large hay barn, versus fighting fire in apartment complexes and apartment buildings and houses.
“It’s a very unique area,” he noted.
Vaughn added that the firefighters must also be prepared for different seasonal conditions from the heavy traffic during the holidays, which can lead to accidents, and the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and chimney fires.
“And then we’ll move into the summer months where we’re dealing with vegetation fires and field fires and everything like that,” he said.
Both Swift and Vaughn come from generations of firefighting families.
Swift said first responders don’t consider themselves heroes, however.
“It’s just another day,” said Swift, who grew up in Avondale. “If somebody calls for help, we’re available, we’re going to go out the door.”
Vaughn concurred.
“Around the holidays sometimes tightens it a little bit. You want to do that fine line of wanting to stay home with the family and everything like that,” the West Grove president said.
“Ultimately, I think in both of our organizations and beyond, that everybody is certainly dedicated enough where if they do have to cut that family time short because there’s an emergency, they’re doing it. So that’s why operationally, it’s just another day,” he said of the holidays.
“My hope is to continue to serve the community 110% when they call 911,” Swift said.
And in the future, that the merger becomes a cost saving solution for everyone.
“They’re dealing with inflation on their end. We’re dealing with inflation on our end,” Swift said of the partner municipalities.
“We understand that the municipal government has to answer to their residents, because they’re using taxpayers’ money,” Swift said, adding his goal is the quality of life will improve for emergency responders with the new company attending one meeting overseen by all municipalities rather than 10 separate meetings.
Vaughn said his greatest hope for the merger is to continue with the excellent service that each company is providing, while offering a more efficient and effective service while working with partner municipalities.
By combining these two organizations, both presidents agreed that the emergency services they provide will become stronger through better efficiency and strategic effectives.
Municipalities react
Of the 10 municipalities impacted by the merger, four responded to share their thoughts.
West Marlborough funded Avondale Fire Company with $38,232 this year and is providing $42,754 for 2026. The township is home to 800 people.
West Marlborough Supervisor Bill Wylie said the service already provided by Avondale Fire Company is excellent.
He said the township hopes, with the merger, for “good communication, equitable distribution of costs, management challenges to maintain quality and morale, and finding volunteers.”
Wylie said it has yet to be determined how the impacted municipalities will form an oversight commission or review board, however, this will be a “cooperative effort.”
“Avondale Borough, a community of just under 1,300 residents, looks forward to working collaboratively with the newly merged fire department and our neighboring municipalities as this transition moves forward,” said Avondale Mayor Susan Rzucidlo.
“We anticipate being an active participant in discussions among the served communities and are committed to constructive engagement as regional partnerships evolve,” said Paul Morgan, president of Avondale Borough Council.
“The borough will continue to evaluate its financial support for fire services through the annual budget process, in coordination with the department’s needs and in partnership with the other municipalities,” he said.
“We are grateful for the dedicated service and professionalism of the Avondale Fire Company and believe this merger presents an opportunity to further strengthen emergency services through enhanced coordination and shared resources,” Rzucidlo said.
“Our hope is that this regional approach results in strong, sustainable, and high-quality emergency services for residents throughout Southern Chester County,” the mayor added.
“Thoughtful governance and long-term sustainability will be important considerations as this work continues,” Morgan said.
“The township is actively working with members from all nine impacted communities to assess the feasibility for future governance models and financial requirements to sustain the merged Avondale-West Grove fire companies, with the goal of creating a more sustainable and efficient level of service for the region,” said Christopher Himes , New Garden Township manager.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census report, New Garden is home to 11,363 people.
New Garden funded Avondale Fire Company with just under $1.1 million in 2025 and also funded the Southern Chester County EMS services with $99,288.
For 2026, New Garden has budgeted $1.3 million for Avondale Fire Company and $102,030 for Southern Chester County EMS services.
“New Garden recognizes the significant contributions of the Avondale Fire Company in providing our community with strong levels of service,” Himes said.
Concurrently, the township “also understands the need to proactively address future challenges such as the continued decline of volunteerism, rising cost of apparatus, regional demographic changes, forecast EMS billing insurance revenue shortfalls, and local taxation constraints in order to sustain an efficient and effective level of service.”
“Elected officials from West Grove Borough are meeting with representatives from our partner communities to discuss how the new department will be managed and funded. It appears all options are on the table, including the potential of forming a municipal authority. It’s important that all participating municipalities have a voice in how this new regional department will be governed,” said Gregory McCummings, West Grove borough manager.
West Grove contributed $100,580 for fire and EMS services in 2025. For 2026, the council increased that amount to $108,713.
“West Grove Borough was incorporated in 1893 and shortly after West Grove Fire Company was incorporated in 1905. The original firehouse, located on Walnut Street, has been an integral part of West Grove Borough since its inception,” McCummings said.
He continued: “Fire and EMS services in urban settings are a critical component to the success or failure of a community. Without proper emergency service protection a community can not thrive. As both organizations approach 125 years of incorporation, it’s clear that West Grove Fire Company has provided outstanding emergency service to West Grove Borough.”
McCummings said many families in West Grove, home to approximately 2,831 residents, have a long history of volunteer emergency service.
“West Grove Borough is a partner municipality in the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department that was formed in 2016,” he said, noting that this regional department is approaching 10 years in existence as a clear indication that the regional approach to emergency services can be effective in southern Chester County, when done correctly.
“That being said, there is a lot of work to be done for this merger to be effective. This includes the two departments merging operations and the participating municipalities agreeing on governing and funding models. The model for a successful regionalization entails municipalities and emergency service providers putting in the work necessary to create a regional organization that provides a stable, cost effective, and exceptional service, for the citizens we serve,” he said.
“West Grove Borough looks forward to once again being on the cutting edge of emergency service regionalization for our community, and we’re ready to put in the work necessary to make it successful,” McCummings said.
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