Chester committee reviews rewrite of city fire-department ordinance

The City of Chester Public Safety Committee reviewed a proposed rewrite of Article 123 of the city code governing the fire department at its meeting on 2025-10-27, with Fire Commissioner V.P. Shirley presenting details of the replacement ordinance and answering questions from the mayor and council members.

Shirley told the committee the current Article 123 dates from 1956 and still enumerates five volunteer fire companies that no longer operate. He said the city now has "a career, fully staffed 24/7, 365, department with city employees" and that "this article is in need of revision." The proposed rewrite would replace roughly 14 historical subsections with four new sections (proposed 123.01'123.04) that reflect the department's modern organization and responsibilities.

Why it matters: the rewrite would align the codified ordinance with current practice and clarify who has appointment and operational authority. The proposal memorializes that the fire chief is appointed by the mayor with the approval and consent of council, designates the fire chief as the fire marshal and emergency management coordinator, and sets out that the chief will determine department staffing with mayor-and-council approval.

Key points from the discussion

- Historical context and need for change: Shirley summarized the transition from volunteer companies to a city-operated career department. He said paid firefighters have worked for the city since the 1960s, volunteer companies continued to operate until the late 1980s, and the first city-owned fire station (Station 1 at Third and Tillman) opened in 1978 with a second station added on 14th Street in 1984. Those volunteer firehouses were sold when companies disbanded.

- Fire chief duties and appointment: The draft ordinance would require the fire chief to meet job-description requirements established by the city's Department of Human Resources and confirms the mayor-and-council appointment process. Shirley said portions of the new language are drawn from the city's Third Class City Code and from the city's fire code (2018 International Fire Code, adopted locally as article 1501).

- Deputy fire chief: The committee spent substantial time on whether the fire chief should have sole discretion to appoint a deputy. Shirley argued "the fire chief should be choosing who his deputy chief is," saying the chief will best know who can work alongside and support day-to-day operations, while also proposing minimum qualification language so appointments are not merely personal selections. Council members raised budgetary and oversight questions, noting that creating and filling a deputy position depends on whether the role is budgeted. Shirley agreed to take parts of that discussion offline for further refinement.

- Emergency management and training: The draft designates the fire chief as the municipal emergency management coordinator, while allowing day-to-day emergency management tasks to be handled by an emergency management specialist. Shirley said training and certification for firefighters are available through Bucks County Community College and other in-house offerings and confirmed the city covers training costs: "City pays for it. It's I I count it into my budget every year. We sign the contract every year." He also said the department aims to establish clearer certification requirements tied to promotion paths.

- Hydrants and mutual-aid notes: Committee members asked about hydrant readiness following national incidents. Shirley explained Chester's hydrants are maintained by the Chester Water Authority; because many are designed as ‘‘dry'' hydrants for freeze protection, the water main system and hydrant flow are checked annually by the water authority. "They go around yearly and they check the flow of all of the fire hydrants to make sure it is producing the appropriate gallons per minute that it is designed to do," he said.

- Follow-up work: Shirley said he will return later in the year with updated ordinances on fire insurance escrow and disbursement (articles 1507 and 1509 in current code) and that he intends to coordinate with the Civil Service Commission to update rules and begin testing for a firefighter eligibility list; he noted two Civil Service Commission members' terms have expired and likely need reappointment before testing can proceed.

Votes and formal actions

- The committee approved the minutes that were emailed prior to the meeting (motion to approve minutes: mover and second not specified; recorded votes included members identified as Paul and Taylor voting "aye"; outcome: approved).

- The committee approved a motion to adjourn at the end of the session (mover and second not specified; outcome: approved).

What did not change today

No ordinance amendments were adopted at the meeting. The committee reviewed the proposed Article 123 language and discussed policy and budget implications; further edits and offline discussion were requested, and any formal change would require subsequent presentation to and action by mayor and council.

Next steps

Shirley said he will revise the draft ordinance to reflect the committee's feedback (particularly on the deputy-chief appointment and whether the deputy should be a budgeted permanent position), present updated drafts for the other fire-related ordinances later this year, and work with city administration to reappoint Civil Service Commission members and begin firefighter testing.