NEW KENSINGOTN, Pa. — The New Kensington Fire Department is planning to consolidate several of its stations as call volumes rise and volunteer numbers drop.
Fire Chief Ed Saliba told Channel 11 the city has already responded to more than 900 calls so far this year, including more than 400 calls at Fire Station One on Fourth Avenue alone.
With just 83 active volunteer firefighters, the department is feeling the strain.
“Whenever you have less people, and you have the same amount of space to cover, you got to do something to bring them together,” said Bob Conroy, a former volunteer firefighter.
To address the staffing challenges, Saliba hopes to reduce the city’s five fire stations by the end of the year.
The plan includes closing Station Two on Freeport Street and converting Station Three into an administrative building for meetings and training.
Firefighters from those stations would be moved into Station One on Fourth Avenue, which is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate more personnel.
“That would be less apparatus that we would need,” Saliba said. “We could probably shed a couple pumpers, and we would not need as much equipment.”
Saliba said the consolidation that was slowly implemented back in August 2023 is already helping.
“This whole process of the consolidation has increased our average number of firefighters per sounded alarm,” Saliba said.
By housing more volunteers in one location, he said, the department can respond faster and more efficiently.
“The quicker the volunteers get out of the door, the faster they get to the scene, the quicker action they have to help save lives,” Saliba said.
As for Station Two, Saliba said the department will likely sell the building and its equipment.
He said response times should not be affected, but some residents are concerned.
“Where they are taking those services out of, the communities you’re taking them out of might be at a disadvantage in response time,” said New Kensington resident Jamika Thomas.
Right now, the department is awaiting approval from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas before moving forward.
Stations Three and Four would not be affected by the consolidation plan.
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