EASTON, Pa. — Easton City Council approved an agreement Wednesday authorizing the city’s fire department to provide service to West Easton, marking a step toward regionalizing emergency services.
The agreement covers fire suppression, rescue and limited quick response. It will allow Easton firefighters to use West Easton’s fire station, vehicles and equipment as needed while the borough continues to maintain the station and cover related facility costs, Councilman Frank Graziano said on Facebook.
Easton will receive annual compensation for providing the services, with additional per-call payments if the number of annual responses exceeds an agreed-upon threshold.
Easton Mayor Sal Panto supported the agreement, describing it as a way to address the rising costs of emergency services across the region.
“I think it’s really good because it regionalizes the services that cost so much money for all the various seven municipalities that make up the Easton area,” Panto said during Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Discussions with West Easton began in late May or early June, Fire Chief Henry Hennings said Thursday. City and borough officials subsequently worked with their solicitors to draft the agreement.
The agreement could remain in effect for up to five years, Hennings said, and it can be reviewed annually and renegotiated.
Under an amendment added before City Council’s approval, Easton will receive additional compensation if its annual responses in West Easton exceed 38 calls. The threshold is based on the average number of calls from 2022 through 2024, Hennings said.
The agreement also addresses the use of West Easton’s equipment. Hennings said some of the borough’s equipment is incompatible with Easton’s existing apparatus and may be sold or transferred elsewhere.
Addressing staffing challenges
West Easton’s existing firefighters have served for decades, Hennings said, but the borough has struggled to attract new volunteers willing to respond to calls.
Under the new arrangement, the West Easton Fire Company will remain in place on paper, but its members will not be responsible for responding to calls, Hennings said.
The borough will continue to bear certain costs associated with the arrangement. Hennings said the existing arrangement covers costs through 2028, after which those expenses will revert to the borough.
The agreement establishes a formal arrangement for Easton to provide services while allowing West Easton to retain its fire station and related facilities.
A step toward regionalization
The agreement follows broader discussions about regionalizing fire services in the Lehigh Valley, where municipalities have explored ways to share resources and address staffing shortages.
Lehigh Valley Public Media previously reported on efforts to study fire service regionalization in Lehigh County as volunteer numbers dwindle.
Regionalization can allow neighboring municipalities to coordinate staffing, equipment and emergency response rather than relying on each community to maintain an independent fire service.
Easton’s agreement with West Easton puts that approach into practice, although the arrangement alone does not establish a broader regional fire service across the area.
The agreement’s five-year maximum term provides a framework for the city and borough to coordinate services and compensation going forward, Hennings said.