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Montgomery Township leaders debate plan to add 19 full-time firefighters after data shows weekend response gaps
Summary
Township fire chief proposed hiring 19 full-time positions to operate a 24/7 combination fire department after volunteer engine on-scene arrival averaged 9:49 in 2025 (worse on weekends). Board members and residents debated full immediate implementation versus phased approaches and asked for public outreach and a feasibility study.
Fire Chief Bill (Wegman) and department leaders presented statistics showing volunteer engine on-scene arrival times have increased to an average of 9 minutes, 49 seconds in 2025, with weekend averages of 10:46 on Saturdays and 10:05 on Sundays. The chief and staff argued those response times exceed national standards for municipalities of Montgomery’s size and carry public-safety risk given local building construction and flashover timelines.
To address what staff called a widening…
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