Town-hall meeting will introduce Keystone Valley operation
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
A collaborative fire district that has already won kudos from the state will be the focus of a town-hall meeting Monday night.
The board of directors, operational officers, and members of the newly formed Keystone Valley Fire Department (KVFD) are hosting the public gathering at 7 p.m. at KVFD Central Station (Parkesburg), 329 W. First Ave., Parkesburg.
The new department, which consolidated the Atglen, Parkesburg and Pomeroy Fire Companies, took nearly three years to come to fruition, and organizers want to familiarize the public with the new operating plan, which will go into effect Tuesday, said Ray Stackhouse, a member of the KVFD executive board as well as president of the Chester County Fire Chiefs’ Association.
The meeting will include a short overview of the process used in the consolidation; the newly formed Keystone Valley Regional Fire District, which will serve Parkesburg as well as West Sadsbury, Sadsbury and Highland Townships; and the Keystone Valley Fire Department. A question-and-answer period will follow, and light refreshments will be served.
The new fire district was formed through the use of an Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement, which aims to improve funding and emergency services to citizens, and has already garnered a Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence. Each year, the state recognizes local governments and individuals who have found creative ways to improve their communities.
The Keystone Valley Regional Fire District will be recognized at an awards ceremony on April 15 in Harrisburg, Stackhouse said.
Stackhouse said the impetus for the change came from an effort to improve fire services while coping with a dwindling volunteer base. He said the opportunity to improve efficiency should benefit citizens as well as volunteers.
He said all three companies, who often assisted neighboring fire departments, such as Coatesville, would continue to do so with the united department.
Stackhouse said as municipalities struggle with reduced income, he believes more companies will consider similar collaborations. “We’re hoping that the model we’ve set – and we may be tweaking it – will be one that others can take advantage of,” he said. “Once people see that this can work to improve services, they are likely to try it.”
