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West Branch Firemen's Association asks commissioners for recurring county funding for training and facilities
Summary
A representative of the West Branch Firemen's Association urged Lycoming County commissioners to adopt a stable, recurring county funding line to support volunteer firefighter training, facility improvements and equipment maintenance.
A representative of the West Branch Firemen's Association told Lycoming County commissioners the organization needs a dedicated, recurring funding source from the county to sustain firefighter training, facility upkeep and donated apparatus maintenance.
Why it matters: County volunteer departments provide fire and emergency services across much of Lycoming County. The association said one-off grants and ad-hoc funding have left training and facility projects underfunded and urged a predictable annual allocation to preserve training capacity and local response capability.
At the public comment period, the association—s representative said the group had relied on package-based training purchases from Bucks County Community College, which cost between $6,000 and $10,000 annually, and that two donated training apparatus and multiple training sites need ongoing maintenance and insurance. He said the association previously received a $15,000 allocation but that some earlier requests were lost due to an IT error during the county budget process.
The speaker, who identified himself as representing the West Branch Firemen's Association, asked commissioners to "consider making a yearly budget that the West Branch can operate" so departments could plan recruitment, training and facility investments. He said training sites such as the Muncy ("MA MA") and CAFCA facilities host structural-burn training and state testing and that those facilities require continued funding to remain available to local departments and the State Fire Academy.
What the county said: Commissioners acknowledged prior allocations to training projects and thanked volunteers for their service. A commissioner noted earlier budget funds had helped but that some projects remained unfinished; county staff and commissioners did not commit to a specific recurring amount during the meeting and asked staff to follow up on outstanding items.
Next steps: The public commenter asked the county to consider a standing annual line item for volunteer fire support and requested assistance identifying grant-writing resources. County staff accepted the submitted materials and said they would follow up.
Public comment details were presented on the record; no formal county action or vote was taken on a recurring funding commitment during the meeting.
