Hampton fire departments agree to merge

The North Hampton and Hampton Township No. 1 volunteer fire departments have agreed to merge.

Besides the financial considerations of operating two separate departments, the manpower simply isn’t there anymore, according to municipal manager Christopher Lochner.

“The big problem, in addition to the extraordinarily high cost of equipment, is really the daytime support. They just don’t have enough volunteers between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he said.

With the merger, the existing fire houses — North Hampton’s is at 5149 N. Pioneer Road and VFD No. 1, 2536 Duncan Ave. — will close, and a new fire station will be built.

Along with the shortage of volunteers, maximizing use the departments’ equipment is essential.

“Their feeling is, it doesn’t matter if we have 10 trucks at an emergency. If we don’t have enough firefighters to operate the equipment effectively then it doesn’t work,” said Lochner. “The merger will be a good thing.”

Both departments are completely funded by the taxpayer’s and have been solely volunteer organizations since their inceptions.

Often, both are present in the community demonstrating fire safety techniques and promoting safe habits. They provide programs in the schools and attend public events such as Hampton Community Day.

The unification has been discussed over the past few years, as they responded to the same calls and supported each other along the way.

There has been no final decision on what will happen to the existing fire stations once the new building is completed.

“Likely, the buildings will become property of the township,” said Lochner. “It’s only right if we are building them a brand-new station.”

Construction plans for the station are in progress.

North Hampton VFD, which opened in 1956, has two stations, including one on Wildwood Road Extension. Hampton VFD No. 1 celebrated 100 years in 2017.Discussions of a merger date back at least five years. In 2018, township council approved a feasibility study.