Mill Hall Borough votes to begin process to decertify fire department

By Christopher Miller

MILL HALL, PA – The Mill Hall Borough Council voted Tuesday evening in favor of decertifying the volunteer fire department. The move, voted unanimously by council, means that as of January 1, 2024, the borough will begin the process to decertify the fire department.

What does this mean?

After the decertification process has completed, the nearly 1,500 residents of Mill Hall Borough will be without a local fire department to fight fires and assist with other emergency situations in the borough.

The official line item, which appeared in the borough council agenda Tuesday night, still needs to be amended to add the date that decertification will begin, and the official name of the fire department: Mill Hall Volunteer Fire Company.

Though council voted to begin the process, it is believed that the fire department will still need to receive a certified letter from the borough solicitor saying that decertification will indeed begin as of January 1.

During the meeting, Councilman Daniel McCloskey offered some explanation on why this came about.

“There was a training ordinance adopted on June 21, 2022 saying that there were requirements for fire company officers to complete,” Daniel said. In November of last year officers were given a full calendar year to complete the required training and submit certifications as proof of completion.

“After several meetings, the plan was to have officers present at the November 15, 2023 meeting to provide their training certifications to borough council,” Daniel said. “No officers showed up except for Chief Tony Walker and one other firefighter.”

“The fear is that the officers are not properly trained at Mill Hall,” Daniel remarked. “We looked far and wide to see what other fire departments required, and we adopted what Flemington did and almost copied their ordinance verbatim, just adding and removing things to adopt it for Mill Hall.”

According to Daniel, no feedback was given and they (borough council) had asked many times for the training certificates, but the only questions council received was “what would happen if we didn’t do it?”

“The Mayor was told at a meeting that everyone had their training certificates that they needed, but that wasn’t the case, and I feel this is the best thing for the residents of Mill Hall Borough: to look for fire coverage elsewhere,” Daniel said.

“We do not know how long it will take, or what will be involved…it is a very tough position to be in and nobody wants to have to do this, but we have to work together and we aren’t getting that,” he said.

Councilwoman Karen Houser remarked that “we need to make sure the firefighters come out alive from a fire, and we need to look out for their training.”

Councilman John Gugliocciello just wants all firefighters to be properly trained. “That is all we asked for, it makes us sad that you’re not showing us the proper training certificates.”

Mayor Bossert emphasized the need for safety, encouraging the fire company to get the required training. “These are things that the council wants to know…the main issue is the safety of the firefighters.”

In other borough news, office hours are changing to 9 AM to 4:30 PM daily, and Public Works will be working from 6 AM to 2:30 PM daily.

Office Administrator Brandi Yost will be applying for a Clinton County Community Fund Grant for plumbing and filtration system, decking and tile to include finishes in the new wading pool for the Mill Hall Community Pool Project totaling $115,000.

Public Works Department reported that they are “ready for snow and ice” this winter season, and that the Christmas lights will be installed around the borough on Thursday.

Brandon Coleman for the Police Department reported that they are ready for winter and that he was “reading up” on the meaning behind vehicles being marked with the letter “x.” While there were no reports of this taking place in the borough, the “x” marking has shown up around social media recently and no one quite knows why or what it means aside from possible auto dealer markings. He also reported that they are “waiting for things to come in on the big cases” around the borough, and they have already “done their due diligence.”

Zoning reports that the building addition for Floating Feathers, the new popular brewery in Mill Hall, is being held up by DEP and that there were “some other complaints” being examined around the borough.

Fire Chief Tony Walker, reporting on the Fire Department, said that the trucks are in good shape and they are waiting for things to come in that were purchased with grant money, including communications equipment that has been on order for over 20 weeks. Councilman Derek Caris apologized to Tony, saying that it is bad that “the actions of a few affect the rest” in relation to the decertification process. Tony said that he will continue to work for the citizens of the borough, and that the fire department is still here and active. Tony also reported that the fire department has budgeted for 400 hours of “training packages” through Bucks County Community College next year to the tune of $2,600, including two certifications for HAZMAT Awareness.

Office Administrator Brandi Yost brought up the complication that the upcoming Christmas holiday (weekend) brings when scheduling office hours. Borough Council voted to observe Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, both paid holidays, on Friday, December 22 and Monday, December 25 therefore closing the borough office on those days. The office will also be closed on December 13 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM for Brandi to attend a DCNR grant workshop within the county.