During a December 16th meeting, the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners voted to decertify the Ogontz Fire Company. The decision took the fire company out of service immediately and it will no longer respond to fires and other emergencies within the township.

From the announcement:

The Commissioners would like to assure all residents that this action will improve the Cheltenham Township Fire Company’s ability to protect life and property in Cheltenham Township. The Township’s other four fire companies – Glenside, La Mott, Elkins Park, and The Cheltenham Hook and Ladder Company – will continue to provide service throughout the entire Township, including the area formerly served by the Ogontz Fire Company. The fire companies in and around Cheltenham Township have always supported each other as part of a mutual aid program. Under this mutual aid program, the closest fire company, regardless of fire district or municipal boundaries, will be assigned and dispatched to an emergency event. This remains unchanged.

The Board of Commissioners used the findings of two studies, which pointed out inefficiencies in Cheltenham’s fire companies, to decertify Ogontz Fire Company upon the recommendation of the township manager. The announcement states that the township manager’s recommendation was based on a decline of the fire company’s membership which has resulted in an insufficient number of firefighters to respond to calls. The Board of Commissioners believes decertification of the Ogontz Fire Company will result in more efficient use of Township resources and its’ volunteers.

Daniel B. Norris, President of the Board of Commissioners, said, “While this was a difficult decision, we believe it was the right one for the Township and our dedicated fire companies based on the recently-released Fire and the PFM studies.”

“The Commissioners are confident that this decision will help improve public safety in the Township,” Norris said. “Our remaining four fire companies will become more resilient and stronger in their ability to provide fire protection to the community.”

Art Gordon, president of Ogontz Fire Company, responded to the decertification on social media. He stated:

Friends and neighbors, as briefly as possible we the members of OFC are shocked!

This study was not vetted by any in the department and was only delivered to most of the companies last month.

At 9:12pm this evening we responded in the middle of a snow event to a call in GFC district and would have been the second truck on scene if not for an order to hold to the local company.

To come home and find out that this action was taken is beyond belief.
Our request for lateral transfer of a qualified candidate was denied with no reason given. We had planned to follow normal membership procedure and would have had this candidate approved for January, thus having a qualified chief officer.

As a member of this company who has responded to over 200 calls this year I am personally insulted in the lack of respect shown by ALL the commissioners, a few of whom we had thought of as friends.

We will expect answers as should you!

All current members of the Ogontz Fire Company will have the opportunity to join one of the four active fire companies remaining in the township.

You can view the presentation that was reviewed during the meeting here.

Photo: Ogontz Fire Company