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Montgomery Township considers hiring 19 full‑time firefighters to ensure 24/7 coverage as weekend response slips toward 10 minutes
Summary
Officials presented a plan to add 19 full‑time firefighters and move to a 24/7 combination department after volunteers’ weekend response averaged nearly 10 minutes; board members asked staff to include the numbers in the 2026 proposed budget and to hold public outreach before a final vote.
Montgomery Township officials on an agenda item about fire services moved to place staffing estimates for a proposed transition to a 24/7 combination/career fire department into the 2026 proposed budget, after staff and volunteers described increasing gaps in weekend coverage and slower response times.
Chief Leibman, the township’s fire chief, told the board the volunteer system is producing “a service gap” and presented arrival‑time data showing that in 2025 a volunteer engine’s on‑scene arrival averaged "9 minutes and 49 seconds," up from 8:36 in 2023. He said those times are “unacceptable” for the community and argued that full‑time staffing would reduce response times toward the roughly 4–5 minutes the department’s career shifts currently achieve.
The chief and staff outlined a plan to hire 19 full‑time employees to operate four 24‑hour platoons on a 24/72 schedule so the township can…
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