Whitemarsh board backs county '250 Strong' volunteer-recruitment push, approves funds for Baron Hill ladder truck

Whitemarsh Township supervisors on June 11 heard a countywide volunteer-fire recruitment pitch and approved a township contribution to help Baron Hill Volunteer Fire Company acquire a new ladder truck.

Chris Schwarz, introduced himself as fire chief of the Baron Hill Volunteer Fire Company and as president of the Montgomery County Fire Chiefs Association, described the '250 Strong — Save and Serve' initiative to recruit 250 new volunteer firefighters in Montgomery County by 2027. Schwarz said the county association will use awards from a multi-year FEMA SAFER recruitment-and-retention grant to supply new volunteers with free training, gear, and support.

Schwarz told the board that while volunteer totals in Whitemarsh remain stable, the broader county has seen steep declines in volunteer ranks and that the recruitment push is intended to bolster local readiness and sustain volunteer departments across the county.

Later in the meeting, the board moved and carried a request to authorize an appropriation from the Fire Company Capital Reserve Fund to Baron Hill Fire Company toward the purchase of a 2026 ladder truck (vendor identified in staff notes as 'Suffen Corporation'). Staff read aloud an approximate total truck cost ('1 1.8 million and some change' as stated in the transcript) and referenced the reserve-account balance and the township allocation (staff figure read aloud in the meeting appears garbled in the transcript). The board approved the appropriation by voice vote.

The board did not specify additional conditions in open session; staff will prepare the check and handle the procurement steps described in the motion.