YORK, Pa. — In a fire, minutes can be the difference between safety and disaster.
A lack of adequate staff at York Area United Fire and Rescue (YAUFR) is slowing response times and putting firefighters in danger, according to Chief Daniel Hoff.
Since 2009, staff levels haven’t changed in the tri-township department, even as the population of their coverage area of Manchester, Spring Garden and Springettsbury Townships grew by 5 percent, according to U.S. Census numbers.
“It's a danger for injury or worse when one person is trying to do the job that two people or maybe even three people are required to do, such as throwing ladders,” Hoff said.
Hoffman put forward a proposal to gradually increase staffing levels over 10 years. Under the proposal, the department would hire three additional firefighters in 2022, enough to cover each shift of the day. The proposal would then allow the department to hire three additional firefighters every other year for 10 years.
More staff would allow YAUFR to send more firefighters out on calls. They currently assign two people per fire engine to head out on calls, well below the four people per engine recommended by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
“Once on scene we're able to take care of our incident priorities a lot quicker,” Hoff said.
Having more firefighters on staff would also likely raise the department’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. It’s currently rated “Class 3” on a scale of one to 10, with lower numbers signifying superior fire protection services.
But hiring comes with a cost: $15 million over 10 years, according to numbers presented to the Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors.
All three townships covered by YAUFR have to approve the plan. Spring Garden already has, and Manchester is expected to approve it in their 2022 budget.
But the Springettsbury Board of Supervisors have said they want more details before moving ahead on the plan.
“It is a decision about money. We’re really bickering about how much is necessary to prevent the loss of life,” board chairman Mark Swomley said at the Oct. 26 Board of Supervisors meeting.
The board’s pushback sparked a passionate plea from the firefighting community at their Nov. 1 meeting.
“Get us the staffing. They have been behind for over 10 years. This isn’t a new issue. It’s not fair to the community,” said Heather Keough, whose husband is a firefighter at the department.
The Springettsbury Township Board of Supervisors is expected to make a decision in December.