Concordville Fire Company reports rising call volumes, EMS strain and radio-system upgrade

Concordville Fire Company leaders told the Concord Township Council on Oct. 7 that both fire and EMS volumes have risen and that the department is taking several steps to respond.

"From the standpoint of a fire response...we've responded to 456 calls in Concord Township alone" from Jan. 1 through September 2025, said Lee Weerasingh, president of the Concordville Fire Company. He added that mutual-aid responses to neighboring communities were ongoing and that call volumes have increased roughly 25% over the last two to three years.

Township public-safety staff reported EMS volumes year to date as well and cautioned that the closure of local emergency rooms has extended ambulance turnaround times. The township reported responding to about 1,985 EMS calls in Concord Township for the Jan.–Sept. 2025 period, and approximately 3,140 EMS calls across the wider response area year to date.

The department is pursuing retention and recruitment initiatives, including a volunteer outreach officer role and local recruitment signs. Volunteer members are training toward credentials such as Firefighter I and II, National Registry EMT, pump operations and hazmat awareness, and in-house drills and structural burn training are scheduled.

The fire company described recent grant activity: it advanced through the first round of the federal SAFER grant application but did not reach the second round, and it expects two state grants from the Pennsylvania Office of State Fire Commissioner in the typical range of $15,000–$18,000 to support EMS fuel/maintenance and protective gear purchases.

Delaware County is upgrading its radio system and the township's fire company is on a pilot program to identify dead spots and configuration issues. Fire leadership said the county expects to switch users from the old system to the new system around Dec. 15; mobile radios will require on‑truck installation and the change could cause temporary operational issues.

Concordville leaders also noted recent incident highlights including one structure fire, one brush fire, fourteen motor-vehicle incidents and 17 accidental alarms for September, and one property fire caused during plumbing work. Police and fire staff said retail thefts at a regional Lululemon location are an ongoing problem, with organized groups identified by state police, and that state police are investigating and have increased patrols.

"We have a good group of 7 or 8 now" of new volunteer recruits, the fire company said, and emphasized the combination of career and volunteer training being used to raise readiness and coverage during daytime hours.

Council members thanked the company for its service. No formal action or new funding was taken at the meeting on Oct. 7 beyond noting the PA volunteer fire relief remittance included in the finance report.