LEWISTOWN, Pa. — A pair of volunteer fire companies serving the Lewistown Borough in Mifflin County announced their merger and will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday to make it official.
The Heritage Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 will be formed by the merger of United Fire and Rescue Services and Brooklyn Hose Company, representatives from both companies said in a press release Thursday.
United Fire and Rescue Services was formed by the previous merger of Fame Fire Company No. 2 and Henderson Hose, Hook and Ladder Fire Company.
The new company is being formed to improve public safety services and create a stronger volunteer fire-rescue system to serve the borough and surrounding communities, its representatives said.
"For the past two years, the officers and members of both fire companies worked tirelessly to plan a single organization that will be a key part of the Lewistown Fire Department,” said Brandon Basom, the newly elected president of the Heritage Volunteer Fire Company.
“The continued decline in volunteer firefighters, not just locally, but statewide was one of the reasons we decided to move forward to create a new partnership between our organizations,” said Abbey Espigh, who served as chairwoman of the Merger Steering Committee. “The new company is the first step in our plan to address those and many other challenges facing today’s fire and emergency services. We are looking to the future."
The newly merged fire company will have over 40 active volunteer members, respond to over 300 calls for service a year and protect the same coverage areas focusing on providing service to Lewistown and mutual aid to surrounding communities.
“I would like to congratulate the officers and members of the United and Brooklyn fire companies of the Lewistown Fire Department on their merger to become one strong organization,” said Bob Douglas, Deputy Fire Chief of the Lewistown Fire Department. “I’m excited at what the merged company brings to the whole department, and I look forward to working with them."
