Fire Service Expansion Proposal – 2026 Budget Consideration

Montgomery Township is evaluating a proposal to transition to a fully staffed, 24/7 combination fire department to address growing emergency call volumes, increased response times during nights and weekends, and a decline in volunteer firefighter availability. The goal is to build a strong, sustainable combination department, with full-time career staff ensuring consistent coverage and a dedicated volunteer team continuing to serve alongside them to serve and protect our community. This page provides residents with clear, factual information about the proposal, including cost impacts, public safety considerations, meeting recordings, and opportunities for community feedback ahead of the 2026 budget adoption in December 2025.

Preliminary 2026 Budget For Review

The preliminary 2026 Montgomery Township Budget is available for review. Please send comments to generalinfo@montgomerytwp.org by December 15, 2025.

The preliminary budget approved for review by the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors proposes a 1.15 mill tax increase to hire 11 full-time firefighters.

Please note this is a Montgomery Township tax increase, not a County or School District tax increase.

The below images show the preliminary budget figures.

Town Hall at the Montgomery Township Municipal Building (1001 Stump Road) - August 28, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Listen to the Podcast Episode - Fighting Fire with Foresight: The Case for a 24/7 Combination Department

Montgomery Township is at a pivotal moment in how it delivers emergency services. In this episode, Township Manager Carolyn McCreary speaks with Fire Chief Bill Wiegman about the growing challenge of maintaining safe and timely fire response amidst declining volunteerism, modern construction risks, and increasing emergency call volumes.

The conversation outlines a proposed transition to a fully staffed, 24/7 combination fire department — a change designed to improve response times, increase firefighter safety, and better serve the community. This proposal includes the hiring of additional career firefighters. Township staff are seeking consensus from the Board of Supervisors to include it in the 2026 Township Budget. If included in the budget, it would require a real estate tax increase to fund the expansion.

Learn what’s at stake, what the data shows, and how the Township is planning for the future of public safety — with residents' lives, property, and dollars in mind.

Board of Supervisors Discussion - June 23, 2025

Board of Supervisors Discussion - July 28, 2025

Board of Supervisors Discussion - August 25, 2025

Board of Supervisors Discussion (Review of Fire Service Study Proposals) - September 8, 2025

Board of Supervisors Discussion (Vote on Fire Service Study Proposals) - September 22, 2025

During this meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 against engaging an independent consultant to conduct a fire services study.

Board of Supervisors - 2026 Proposed Fire Staff Expansion Preliminary Budget Presentation - November 10, 2025

Board of Supervisors Review Meeting - 2026 Proposed Fire Staff Expansion Preliminary Budget - November 14, 2025

Board of Supervisors Meeting - Authorize 2026 Preliminary Montgomery Township Budget for Public Review & Establish a Fire Tax

Fire Service Expansion Proposal – Frequently Asked Questions

What is Montgomery Township proposing?

The Township is considering adding additional full-time firefighters to create a fully staffed, 24/7 combination fire department consisting of paid career firefighters working alongside our dedicated volunteers. This would ensure that a fire truck with trained firefighters is always available to respond, no matter the time of day or day of the week.

Why is this change being proposed?

  • Emergency call volumes are increasing.
  • Volunteer firefighter numbers have declined significantly despite grants, stipends, and recruitment efforts.
  • Current weekend response times often exceed 10 minutes, longer than the national standard of 9 minutes.
  • Fires can double in size every 30 seconds, making every minute critical to saving lives and property.

What is a “combination department”?

A combination department uses both career firefighters (who are full-time, paid staff) and volunteers who assist in providing coverage. The Township is committed to maintaining its strong volunteer program and having both groups work together to serve the community.

What are the potential tax impacts?

The preliminary budget approved for review by the Montgomery Township Board of Supervisors proposes a 1.15 mill tax increase to hire 11 full-time firefighters.

Please note this is a Montgomery Township tax increase, not a County or School District tax increase.

You can view your specific parcel and its projected tax increase using the interactive GIS tool below. If you have trouble viewing it on this page, please click here.

What are the current response times?

Data from 1,606 fire calls in 2023, 2024, and January to June 2025 (excluding Police-only, EMS-only, Fire Police-only calls, and calls during volunteer training sessions).

Day of Week

Combination Crew (Career + Volunteer)

Volunteer Only

Stipend Volunteer

Sunday

N/A

~10:00 minutes

~7:30 minutes

Monday

~5:05 minutes

~7:40 minutes

~7:30 minutes

Tuesday

~5:00 minutes

~9:45 minutes

~6:50 minutes

Wednesday

~4:45 minutes

~7:40 minutes

~6:50 minutes

Thursday

~4:45 minutes

~9:05 minutes

~6:55 minutes

Friday

~5:20 minutes

~9:00 minutes

~8:05 minutes

Saturday

N/A

~10:20 minutes

~7:05 minutes

Why On-Scene Times Matter

  • Lower chance of survivability for victims.
  • Greater danger to firefighters operating in hazardous conditions.
  • Higher risk of structural collapse due to lightweight construction materials.
  • Increased likelihood of flashover, when all contents of a room ignite almost at once.

Definitions

Combination: Township-paid career firefighters working alongside unpaid volunteers.
Volunteer: Unpaid volunteer firefighters responding to calls.
Stipend: Volunteer firefighter receiving a small payment for high-demand coverage (such as nights and weekends).

What is Flashover?

When a fire gets so hot that everything in a room ignites almost simultaneously, causing flames to spread rapidly and fill the entire space.

How many calls is the Fire Department receiving?

Annual Fire Call Volume Bar Graph

591 calls in 2025 as of August 4, 2025

Annual Fire Department Call Volume (2022–2025)
Year Number of Calls
2022 763
2023 789
2024 908
2025 591 (as of August 4)

Call volume has increased by 19% between 2022 and 2024. This upward trend reflects growing demand for fire and emergency services in Montgomery Township, highlighting the need for consistent, reliable staffing to handle emergencies quickly and safely.

Why not just recruit more volunteers?

Montgomery Township has invested heavily in volunteer recruitment, including federal SAFER grants, stipends, training programs, and gear. Despite these efforts, the number of active, locally available volunteers continues to decline — a nationwide trend affecting fire departments everywhere.

Why not phase in full-time firefighters more slowly?

Key Issues with Phasing in Fewer Firefighters: 

  • Uncovered Shifts and Overtime: Hiring fewer firefighters leaves uncovered shifts, requiring costly overtime and delaying reliable 24/7 coverage. 

  • Tax Increases: A phased approach would still increase taxes in 2026 and require another tax increase later to reach full staffing. 

  • Response Gaps: This approach would leave response gaps for multiple years. 

Chief Wiegman’s Concerns About the Phased Approach: 

  • Command and Control: It prevents achieving command, control, crew integrity, and initial company operations goals. Ineffective and inefficient crew sizes also place members and civilians at risk. 

  • Part-Time Firefighters: It requires using part-time and per-diem firefighters, which is an obstacle to crew integrity. 

  • Mandatory Overtime: It requires mandatory overtime for career staff to ensure four firefighters are on the engine. 

  • Service Disruption: It disrupts service delivery, including fire inspections, Quick Response Service (QRS)/Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Drone Operations, Community Risk Reduction (CRR), pre-planning, supporting other township departments, and stakeholders, because the department must be restarted every three years. 

  • Annual Restart: The department will need to restart every year for three years, including: 

    • International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) impact and opening of the contract, with the possibility of grievances. 

    • Testing (written and physical). 

    • Interviews for new hires. 

    • Hiring practices with Human Resources (HR) and Township. 

    • Onboarding and training. 

    • Changing of shifts and platoons. 

    • Changing of work hours and shift rotation. 

  • Cohesion and Culture: It delays the cohesion and culture of the department due to the continual interruption in staffing. 

  • Work-Life Balance: It disrupts work-life balance for staff, changing their schedules and platoons every year. 

  • On Call Fire Marshal: It requires the continual use of an On Call Fire Marshal. 

  • Optimal Staffing: It does not allow for optimal staffing for three years. The proposed plan requires hiring additional firefighters, meeting the township's needs for 20 to 30 years. 

Chief Wiegman’s Professional Recommendation for a Phased Approach: 

Chief Wiegman does not recommend a phased approach. However, if the Board of Supervisors directs him to proceed with a phased approach, his professional recommendation is as follows: 

3-Year Phased Approach: 

Year 

#New Staff 

Shift Rotation 

Platoons 

Make up 

Total CBA Staff 

2026 

7 

24/48 

3 

3 Captains, 9 Firefighters 

12 

2027 

6 

24/72 

4 

2 Battalion Chiefs, 4 Captains, 12 Firefighters 

18 

2028 

6 

24/72 

4 

4 Battalion Chiefs, 4 Captains, 16 Firefighters 

24 

Tax increase comparisons for the phased approach vs. funding the full proposal are available here.

Fire Department Career Staff Expansion Cost Projections: Full vs. Phased Approach (2026–2030)

The following tables present a detailed financial projection for the Fire Department’s proposed expansion plans that Chief Wiegman presented to the Board of Supervisors. They cover the five-year period from 2026 to 2030. The data compares the costs associated with a full expansion versus a phased expansion approach, including annual wage increases and the impact of overtime coverage.

All figures represent wages, taxes, and benefits for the entire department, excluding part-time staff.

The phased expansion would result in an additional cost of $876,949.33 due to overtime, with phased hiring scheduled for 7 new staff in 2026, 6 in 2027, and 6 in 2028.

Will this require a new fire station?

The current station can accommodate additional firefighters with available bunk space and planned gear racks. The Township may study long-term facility needs, but immediate staffing improvements can be made without a new building.

When will a decision be made?

The Board of Supervisors is expected to decide in Fall 2025 in advance of the 2026 budget process. Public outreach, HOA meetings, and information sessions will be held before the final decision.

How can residents learn more or provide feedback?


Associated Documents