New fire territory for Kennett

Kennett Township supervisors voted 2-1 in a special meeting Thursday to adopt an emergency services proposal between Kennett and Longwood fire companies that would allow Kennett Fire Co. to hire three paid firefighters, require Kennett Fire to officially end its ambulance service, designate Longwood Fire Co. as the primary fire, rescue, and EMS response in the township, and create more of a regional fire response, among other things.

Supervisor Scudder Stevens voted against it, saying he was unhappy about the relationship between Kennett Fire Co. and Kennett Township.

“What I’m not happy about is what it may have done to an organization that’s been around for 150 years,” Stevens said, referring to the Kennett company. “That’s why I voted against it.”

The supervisors also voted unanimously to approve Resolution 2012-11 that designates all the township’s emergency service providers from May 3-Dec. 31.

Kennett Fire Co. membership will meet April 27 to vote on the proposal with Longwood. It is slated to go into effect on Monday, May 3.

Township Manager Eden Ratliff said the proposal would address an analysis of Kennett Fire Co.’s fire and rescue response, that showed in 2020 that Kennett didn’t have enough staffing to respond to “50 percent of their calls during the night and weekends and as much as 75 percent Monday through Friday” during the day.

Under the proposal, the Kennett Fire and EMS Regional Commission, which met Tuesday, would reallocate the money previously earmarked for Kennett Fire’s EMS service by giving $254,720 to Kennett Fire to hire two paid firefighters and a paid supervisor, and also by giving $74,100 to Longwood Fire for a paid firefighter. The paid firefighters at both fire companies would add additional weekday fire coverage, according to the proposal.

The proposal would create a regional response model, Ratliff said. Longwood Fire Company would become the first-due fire company in the entire township but would also have Kennett Fire Company dispatch with them in the western part of the township and Hockessin Fire Company dispatch with them in the southern part of the township. That would ideally mean a reduction in response time.

“The only people that benefit more than the fire companies are the taxpayers,” Longwood Fire Company Chief A.J. McCarthy said.

“I think this gives us the chance to look regionally at how fire services are delivered and supports fire companies in their efforts to recruit and train new members,” supervisors’ Chairman Richard Leff said.

Leadership from both fire companies spoke in favor of it during the supervisors’ Zoom meeting, which drew more than 45 people.

“I think this is a good thing for both companies,” said McCarthy, the Longwood Fire chief. “This is definitely a huge benefit for Kennett Fire Company … keeps everyone involved and … increases service delivery.”

New Kennett Fire Chief Tom Brady called it “very promising.”

“Overall, it’s a very positive vibe we’re getting from our members,” Brady said, adding that Kennett had asked Ratliff to help them analyze their fire responses to see if paid firefighters would make sense. “We’re taking steps to fix what we found out. I’m very ecstatic to be working with Chief McCarthy and the chief of Po-Mar-Lin as well.”

Kennett Fire Co. Deputy Chief Steve Melton said he was “ecstatic” about the proposal.

“I have been asking for this regional concept since the (Kennett Fire and EMS) regional commission started,” he said. “Hopefully Kennett Fire Company votes to do this. We look forward to working with Longwood and Po-Mar-Lin and making this a successful and great process for all of us.”

About Monica Fragale

Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.

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