End of a partnership: Volunteer firefighters, Borough of Waynesboro splitting up

The rocky relationship between the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department and the Borough of Waynesboro recently saw one more bump before their partnership dissolves at the end of the year.

The Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department scrambled to remove the last of its equipment from the South Potomac Street fire station and return property owned by the Borough of Waynesboro by a Dec. 16 deadline. They gave notice in September of the intent to separate from the borough “on or before” Dec. 29 and thought they had until the end of the month.

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The deadline was part of a letter titled “Separation Preparation” from Borough Manager Jason Stains received by Mike Bock, president of the WVFD, on Dec. 4.

“This sudden notice from the Borough of Waynesboro is causing unnecessary chaos, as well as requiring the members of the WVFD to adjust the staffing of the highly anticipated Santa Claus rides,” the WVFD said in a Dec. 7 press release.

The rides went on as planned, with assistance from the Waynesboro Ambulance Squad, which escorted the Jolly Old Elf as he rode around the community in a fire truck. A press release issued by the borough Dec. 12 said it would pay for the fuel for the Santa Claus ride.

The borough release said the WVFD “informed the Borough that it would no longer be affiliated with the Borough of Waynesboro after ‘December 29, 2023, or sooner.’ A mutually agreeable separation date was never established.”

The letter to Bock did not say why Dec. 16 was chosen. However, the borough press release said most of the property had already been returned or removed and the deadline was selected to “conclude the few remaining items related to the separation before the holidays.”

What’s the background on the Waynesboro fire service schism?

The split evolved from an effort to formalize the long-standing gentleman’s agreement between the borough and the WVFD.

Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. was formed about a decade ago by the merger of the Mechanics Steam Fire Engine and Hose Co. located on Virginia Avenue and the Always There Hook and Ladder Co. located on South Potomac Street.

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The borough, which now owns the South Potomac Street station, had been served by a combination paid staff of firefighters/EMTs and volunteers. Chris Devers was hired as full-time fire chief in August 2021 after the department operated for many years with a volunteer chief, who was paid a stipend.

Contention arose during talks to create a formal memorandum of understanding to cover facilities, apparatus, tools, equipment and personnel started in September 2022.

Why did the WVFD decide to cut ties with the borough?

By the end of 2022, leaders of WVFD were saying the borough was turning its back on the volunteers – “the blood, sweat and tears of this fire department for 143 years.”

Members of the board of directors said the trust between the two entities was broken, the volunteers were getting the cold shoulder and it appeared the WVFD was being relegated to a fundraising role as the borough moved toward an all-paid department.

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In September 2023, the WVFD gave notice of intent to separate, indicating the last straw was an ordinance passed by Waynesboro Borough Council. In addition to laying out the organizational structure, rules and procedures for paid fire personnel, the ordinance states that the WVFD, despite having its own constitution and bylaws, was a part of the paid department and that paid personnel had authority over the volunteers, no matter their rank.

"The decision by the Council of the Borough of Waynesboro to take unilateral actions to enact a career Fire Department Control Ordinance did not consider the Volunteer Fire Department and its firefighters," the WVFD said in a news release in September.

What’s the position of the Borough of Waynesboro?

The borough’s perspective, detailed in the Dec. 16 news release, is “During negotiations, both parties agreed verbally that the Borough would continue to pay for fuel, routine maintenance, pump testing, ladder testing, and insurance. Both parties also agreed to come together and discuss how major repairs on apparatus would be funded. With the basic details worked out, Borough Council asked the VFD to pay for half of the cost of drafting the document. The Borough remains disappointed that the agreement was never finalized, but the VFD is an independent entity that is entitled to chart its own course.”

The news release pointed out that “despite the proliferation of misinformation on social media, Borough Council has continued to support the WVFD through the separation process,” including providing more than $50,000 to the Waynesboro Volunteer Fireman’s Relief Association, $5,000 each to WVFD and its fire police for equipment.

The release thanks the WVFD members, past of present, for their service and wished the WVFD “healthy, safe and successful service for years to come.”

What’s ahead for the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department?

The course being charted by the WVFD includes housing equipment, installing officers and looking to a future partnership with Washington Township.

The volunteer department retains the Company 2 designation from the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services, with the borough’s fire department designated Company 24.

“With the WVFD retaining their Company 2 designation, their history and their future will be consistent as they continue their passionate mission of service to the community,” said Lori Depies, WVFD administrative manager.

“Regardless of the final date of separation, the Borough of Waynesboro will work with the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department through the transition, and in the future with continued service delivery to the community. The VFD will continue to carry on the tradition of being Company 2, and the Borough is proud that its Fire Department will continue to deliver life-saving services twenty-four hours a day as Company 24,” the borough’s news release said.

What logistical moves have been made?

The WVFD owns the fire station on Virginia Avenue, which now houses two fire engines. Because of its size, the ladder truck owned by WVFD that had been at the South Potomac station is now based at the Waynesboro Ambulance Squad facility on East Main Street.

“The goal is to devise a plan for renovations to the Virginia Avenue Station or to acquire a location to consolidate all of the apparatus in the future,” according to an email from WVFD.

The WVFD is still all-volunteer, but paid staffing has not been ruled out for the future.

Steps taken to prepare to split from the Borough of Waynesboro included amending the bylaws to create officer positions.

Officers elected and sworn in on Dec. 11 are John Beck, fire chief; Casey Rock, deputy chief; Gerald “Tyke” Smith; assistant chief; and Andrew Gilliand, captain.

On Oct. 9, Washington Township supervisors voted to recognize the WVFD as a fire service provider for the township. Work has started on a memorandum of understanding to be effective in 2025, providing WFVD with a portion of the township fire tax. The township already has identical MOUs with the Waynesboro Ambulance Squad and the Blue Ridge Fire Department, WVFD said in an email.

“The Washington Township Supervisors have one remaining year on their MOU with the Borough of Waynesboro and will be paying the Borough for fire service in the amount of $185,380,” according to the WVFD. “The Supervisors included $25,000 in their 2024 budget for the WVFD.”

Do you have a place for WVFD history?

The WVFD’s roots go back 143 years in the community, and it is looking for a location to display pieces of its past.

Hundreds of pictures and items that were on display at the South Potomac Street fire station are now in storage.

“If a location that was available to the public was discovered, we would love to share these with the public once again,” an email from the WVFD said. “The WVFD has existed for 143 years and are an integral part of the history of the Waynesboro community.”

How to help the Waynesboro Volunteer Fire Department

The WVFD is always taking in new members and says, “You don’t need to fight fire to make a different in the community.”

People are needed for administrative functions, including fundraising and public events.

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The WFVD will help those who want to become firefighters get training and cover the cost of classes.

There also is a junior firefighter program for those 14 and older to explore fire service as a possible career. For more information, call the station at 717-762-2611.

This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Borough of Waynesboro, volunteer fire department splitting up