Columbia Borough Fire Department asks council for $300,000 annual increase to support apparatus replacement

Jared Barniger, president of the Columbia Borough Fire Department, told council the department is operating a roughly break-even budget and requested a $300,000 annual increase from the borough to address equipment, vehicle replacement and operating costs.

Barniger said the department operates a $600,000 annual budget, maintains roughly $1.3 million in invested and liquid cash as a safety net, and relies on proceeds from a social club that contributed roughly $140,000 to operations last year. He said the department is planning to replace a ladder truck that currently is quoted at $2.2 million and that signing a purchase contract now would reduce the price to about $1.9 million because of vendor discounts for early commitment. "Our ladder truck is ready to go," Barniger said. "That queue will last about 44 months and then they will start production." He also described recurring equipment mandates: full personal protective equipment costs about $6,000 per firefighter and self-contained breathing apparatus cost about $5,700 each with a 15-year life cycle.

Barniger proposed that an additional $300,000 per year would allow the borough to pay current obligations and build an apparatus-replacement fund; he framed the request as a long-term investment to avoid moving to a paid department. Council members voiced support for the department's service and gratitude for the presentation but said they could not make a final commitment at the workshop. Staff and council discussed alternatives including (a) a line-item tax for fire services, (b) using capital proceeds from potential property sales to partially fund a truck purchase, or (c) accelerating grant and fundraising efforts. Council members indicated the practical deadline for a budgetary decision would be late October to November 2025 as the borough finalizes its 2026 budget. "We want to do the best we can as creatively as we can to make sure that you guys have the funding that you need," one council member said.