By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
A strategic plan to help preserve Lawrence Township’s three volunteer fire departments is still under review by the fire companies, according to Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun.
Mr. Krawczun presented Township Council with a draft copy of the proposed strategic plan at its Oct. 7 meeting. The council accepted the document, but took no formal action.
”It is still being reviewed by the fire companies,” Mr. Krawczun said, adding that he had met with representatives of the Slackwood and Lawrence Road fire companies. He said he is waiting to meet with the Lawrenceville Fire Company.
Depending on the feedback that township officials receive from the membership of the three fire companies, portions of the strategic plan may have to be revised, he said. The strategic plan was prepared in conjunction with the fire chiefs and presidents of the three companies.
The strategic plan is an effort to address the most immediate issues facing the fire companies, Mr. Krawczun said. It is not a directive or a recommendation on how to deliver fire services, but rather provides a structure for a collaborative effort to move toward common operating goals, he said.
Mr. Krawczun said the plan — or a variation of it — would be implemented after it is reviewed and accepted by Township Council and the three fire companies.
”There is no target date for implementation (of the strategic plan),” he said. “Until there is full acceptance of the process and what is to be reviewed in that process, it remains a draft document.”
The strategic plan grew out of township officials’ concerns for the future of the volunteer fire departments after the Lawrence Township First Aid Squad disbanded last year for lack of members.
The three fire companies are facing many challenges as organizations, including the cost of operations and equipment, as well as reductions in the sources of revenue, Mr. Krawczun said. The fire companies receive some money from the township and raise the rest on their own.
The fire companies also must attract and retain volunteers, he said. Because of socioeconomic factors, many potential volunteers hold down two jobs. New volunteers also must complete a 120-hour training course, which serves as a deterrent for young people to become involved, he said.
There are four paid firefighters who drive the fire trucks during the daytime on weekdays, while volunteers make up the rest of the crew. In the evening and on the weekend, the fire companies rely on volunteers to respond.
The seven-page strategic plan is divided into three sections, addressing manpower needs, fire department equipment and fire department facilities. Each section lists benchmarks, an action plan and a means of monitoring the success of the action plan.
The manpower section seeks to determine the number of active volunteers, the number of calls for service and the type of calls from 2003 to 2008 under the benchmark portion.
The action portion would initiate recruitment and retention programs. It also would suggest finding a way to answer the various calls without overburdening the volunteers, including the possibility of overnight crews.
Success would be determined by the number of new and existing volunteers, and the increase in participation of active members from the date of the adoption of the strategic plan.
The equipment section deals with the need to determine which pieces of equipment are mandatory and which are not. Some pieces are required under the Public Employee Occupational Safety and Health Act and the National Fire Protection Association standards.
An inventory of equipment would be conducted at each of the fire companies, under the benchmark portion. The action plan would create a list of required equipment on each fire truck, and duplicate equipment would be eliminated. Equipment ranges from small hand tools to the fire trucks themselves.
A plan would be devised for the acquisition of future fire trucks and equipment. A policy would be created that determines who buys and maintains the equipment — the fire companies or the township. Alternative funding sources for equipment purchases could be explored.
Success would be determined by the completion of an inventory of equipment and the development of a five-year replacement plan.
The facilities section focuses on the three firehouses, which were designed with volunteers in mind. The report points out that only one of the three firehouses — the Lawrenceville Fire Co. — has a bunk room and shower facilities for overnight crews.
The benchmark calls for an examination of each firehouse and its location. The cost of maintaining and operating each firehouse would be determined.
Under the action plan, a needs assessment would be developed that addresses improvement to the firehouses to accommodate overnight crews or the expansion or transition to more career firefighters.
Success would be monitored by the completion of a needs assessment and a long-term facilities plan with consideration of changes in staffing. Short-term and long-term capital improvement plans would be devised.

