Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry The Starbrick Volunteer Fire Department may have to close if new members cannot be found. A town hall meeting has been set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, at the fire hall.

Unless something changes soon, the Starbrick Volunteer Fire Department may have to fold.

“We have been meeting with our fire folks to discuss fire and EMS for the township for about six months,” Conewango Township Supervisor Jeff Zariczny said. “We’re trying to make this sustainable for the township.”

Over that time, the department took some hard looks at itself and continued to hold on.

That changed this week.

There was a township supervisors meeting Monday, a fire department meeting Tuesday, and an EMS meeting Wednesday. On Wednesday, department officials notified the supervisors that they considered the situation unsustainable.

Like volunteer departments everywhere, Starbrick is having trouble finding and keeping people.

“We’re losing personnel,” Zariczny said.

“I just can’t keep the manpower,” Foust said.

The situation has grown worse recently, with five or six volunteers handling all of the department’s firefighting and EMS work and another few volunteers working in administration.

“It’s really a very small handful of people wearing multiple hats,” Department Treasurer Hollie Foust said. “There are some very dedicated volunteers in every department. They’re tired.”

Kirk Foust has been chief for 20 of his 36 years with the department. He is also the department’s president and serves on the board of trustees.

The difficulty facing the department is not a financial one.

The department did well financially in 2022. It’s ambulance service generates revenue and had a record number of calls — 462. A typical year is closer to 180 calls, Chief Kirk Foust said. As other departments dropped their ambulance services, or were unable to handle many calls due to their own personnel issues, Starbrick took up the slack.

The township cannot afford to have a paid fire department. Zariczny said the supervisors are looking into providing some incentive to those who serve.

Conewango Township Police Officer Charlie Andersen said firefighters are crucial in helping the department in various situations and ways. He described the service of volunteers as “selfless” and “noble” and deserving of recognition.

There are two volunteer fire departments in Conewango Township — Starbrick and North Warren. They are separated by 5 miles and are centered in populations to the east and north of the City of Warren, respectively. They also work closely together, Foust said.

North Warren’s membership is dwindling, too, but has not reached the critical level faced by Starbrick. “We’re not in the same predicament,” Chief Shawn Jones said.

TOWN HALL MEETING

The township and department have scheduled a town hall meeting for 7 pm. Wednesday, March 22, at the Starbrick Volunteer Fire Department, with light refreshments, in the hopes that sharing information will generate some interest in serving the community.

“We’ve labeled it, ‘Save Our Fire Departments,'” Zariczny said. “We’ve got to engage the community. It’s the right thing to do.”

“This is an opportunity for all of us to come together as a whole,” Jones said.

“I want to focus on what’s happening to our departments,” Zariczny said. “Sooner or later, it’s going to affect our quality of life.”

The department would welcome new members who are fully trained and able to hit the ground running, of course. But, it also needs people willing to go through the training to help serve their communities and others who can take some of the administrative tasks off of the plates of the few members who are running the whole show.

There is no requirement that members live in the township. “Most of our volunteers now are out of the township,” Foust said.

“We would love members from anywhere,” Zariczny said.

Foust said an infusion of three new members would be enough to keep the department afloat.

Zariczny said he believes other municipalities and department will soon be following Starbrick’s lead in trying to do whatever they can to keep serving. “We want to bolster all of our volunteers throughout the county,” he said.

Officials are not sure how the meeting — or the future of the department — will turn out, but they are hopeful. “At least we’re trying,” Zariczny said.

They are hopeful, but upset that the situation has grown so dire.

“It’s heartbreaking to have to go down this road,” Foust said.