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Lower Moreland Endorses NFPA 1720 Metric; Heated Public Debate Over Joint Fire Name
Summary
After a comprehensive emergency‑services briefing, the Board affirmed NFPA 1720 staffing benchmarks as the target metric; discussion of a proposed joint name for Huntington Valley and B"era"n fire companies ("Fed Mill"/"Fed's Mill") prompted sharp public comment and calls for broader member outreach.
Chief of Emergency Services Mark Showmaker presented a multi‑section report on emergency response, recommending NFPA 1720 staffing benchmarks be adopted as a target metric for the township's emergency services. He explained NFPA 1720 sets a national benchmark—15 personnel on scene within 9 minutes (90 percent of the time) for urban areas—but recommended the township adopt a pragmatic local minimum of four on a suppression apparatus within nine minutes and rely on mutual aid to reach full staffing when necessary.
Showmaker said the report (a forthcoming 100+ page document) will include data drawn from Huntington Valley and Beran (spelled variously in the record) reporting systems, and that benchmarking against NFPA standards will help the township evaluate response performance and legal exposure. "This is the standard that's my recommendation then that we go with the NFPA 1720 staffing recommendations for an urban environment," he said.
A separate but related topic in the same report was regional branding and the proposed name for a joint organization serving both communities as apparatus and organizational consolidation progresses. Showmaker said the chiefs of the two organizations had discussed options and that a neutral name—frequently described at meetings as "Fed Mill" or "Fed's Mill Fire Rescue"—had emerged as a compromise. He warned that lettering the new ladder truck twice would be costly (roughly $20,000 per the presentation) and urged a timely decision to avoid avoidable expense.
Residents, volunteer leaders and commissioners voiced strong views. Some public commenters and members of Huntington Valley Fire Company urged honoring legacy names, requested more time and wider membership input, and argued Lower Moreland's current financial commitment to the truck should be considered. One attendee said the township is currently "on the hook for the 100% of this to date." Others supported a neutral name as a way to unify membership.
The board voiced general support for Showmaker's use of NFPA 1720 as the township metric and asked staff to continue outreach on naming, asking chiefs and presidents from both organizations to reach internal consensus before a final recommendation is made to the boards. Showmaker said the new ladder truck is expected to be delivered and fit out during July–August timelines, and that adopting a shared organizational name would help with branding, patches and future operational planning.
