By Michael Urban
Republican & Herald
ORWIGSBURG, Pa. — The Orwigsburg Fire Department is receiving $2.25 million in federal funding that will greatly help it build the new firehouse it is planning, officials said.
The money was included in the federal agriculture appropriations legislation recently signed into law and announced last Friday.
This investment will help allow Friendship Hose Co. No. 1 to construct a modern fire station on the site of its existing facility at 121 N. Liberty Street in the borough.
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“It will improve emergency response capabilities, increase volunteer recruitment and retention, and ensure safe, updated infrastructure for first responders,” U.S. Senator Dan Meuser’s office said in a press release.
The new station is a necessity due to the rapid growth in the Orwigsburg area and the lack of space and safety features in the existing building, said Brad Miller, Friendship Hose Company president.
The building was not built to be used as a fire station, originally serving as a horse stable and later a gas station before the community’s fire department began using it almost 60 years ago, Orwigsburg Fire Chief Scott Rarick said.
The time has come to tear it down and replace it with a modern firehouse that would help the department serve the borough and southern Schuylkill County for the next century, he said.
The new facility will address the current building’s shortcomings, department officials said, by including:
- Ultramodern safety improvements, including features to remove dangerous carcinogens from gear and an air exchange system to eliminate diesel fumes.
- Expanded space, including a large meeting/training room for educational classes and hands-on training, a small gym to help members maintain physical fitness, and longer engine bays to accommodate modern, larger fire suppression and rescue vehicles.
- Community space, since the meeting room will be available to other organizations in the area.
- Emergency shelter. There are currently no facilities in the borough that can accommodate the need for an emergency evacuation space. The new building will be able to provide temporary shelter with access to showers and food during an outage or weather emergency.
“This funding will enable the department to meet current minimum fire safety standards, improve operational efficiency and provide a safer environment for both firefighters and the citizens they serve,” Miller said.
The estimate for the new two-story, four-bay station was $6 million, but that cost has likely risen since it was drawn up due to the rising costs of building materials, he said.
Therefore, the department has also applied for a $3 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant from the state that would require a matching amount from the department, and is seeking a second state grant of $200,000.
The department is also hoping to raise donations through its current capital campaign, Miller said. Any money raised beyond the project cost would be used for the higher cost of upkeep in the new facility.
With development in the region increasing along with traffic volume on local roads, the demands on the department are also growing, Rarick said. The department had a record number of responses in 2024 with 260 calls, and it responds to more than 25 surrounding municipalities within its service area.
The department has also already ordered a new rescue engine at a cost of $1.2 million that is set to arrive in 2027. The new truck will replace two of its older apparatus, but will be too long to fit in the current station, so the goal is to have the new station in place by then, Miller said. If the department ever acquires an aerial truck, the new station will have room for that as well, officials said.
Orwigsburg is also a borough with only one fire company, unlike some other Schuylkill municipalities, which makes the station it operates out of especially vital, officials said.
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