First reading advances ordinance to reflect consolidation from three to two volunteer fire companies

Lock Haven — The City Council on Nov. 13 took the first reading of Ordinance 2023-12, an amendment to Chapter 59 of the city code that would change how the city accounts for the fire department after two volunteer companies notified the city they intend to consolidate, leaving two companies instead of three.

Staff said the amendment is necessary because the two companies’ notices, effective Jan. 1, require the city to update ordinance language describing how it interacts with volunteer companies. Several audience members and councilors urged that the fire advisory board meet in person to review the proposed ordinance and provide a formal recommendation before the city moves to final adoption.

A resident raised multiple operational questions: whether the fire chief must attend all fires, how deputy and assistant chief roles would work under consolidation, and how the city’s job descriptions and mutual-aid dispatching would be applied when the city’s paid driver or an on-duty captain acts as incident leader.

“The ordinance only has to do with how the city interacts with the individual companies,” staff said, adding that internal company governance and membership rules remain the companies’ own responsibility. The advisory-board chairman said he had circulated the proposed ordinance and expected to schedule an advisory-board meeting within the next week to 10 days for further review.

On the first-reading vote the council recorded several affirmative votes and at least two negatives; staff reiterated the ordinance must be adopted by the first meeting in December in order to take effect before Jan. 1, 2024.

Council asked staff to ensure advisory-board input and to return with clarified language and any agreed implementation steps before final adoption.