Politics & Government

Council Discusses Fire House's Future as a Shelter

Dewey Fire Company No. 1 could become a heated emergency shelter for local residents, provided that money to complete necessary upgrades is obtained.

 could become a fully-functioning emergency shelter for Hellertown residents, provided that upgrades to the building are made and funding for the necessary improvements is found.

At Hellertown Borough Council's Dec. 5 meeting, council members discussed the formation of a committee that will research issues involved in making the 1950s-era volunteer fire house the type of shelter that many residents would have been thankful for and .

The freak storm left thousands of borough residents without heat and electricity for days, and many who lacked transportation were unable to travel to hotels or to stay with friends or relatives who still had power.

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Other residents needed to be sheltered due to health concerns, .

Due to the fact that roads were clear following the storm, and travel was largely unimpeded, "the county felt that since people could get in their cars...that it wasn't so much a county (responsibility)" to provide shelter to local residents, councilman Tom Rieger explained Dec. 5.

Find out what's happening in Hellertown-Lower Sauconwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For that reason, he continued, "we're looking for something we can do in the borough to provide for our residents (in the future)."

Upgrading Dewey's electrical system and back-up generator would enable the building to remain heated in the event of another large-scale blackout.

The main mission of the committee will be to explore grant opportunities to fund those upgrades, Rieger said.

The committee will also be able to "get this moving at a faster pace," he added.

Members of the committee will include Rieger, Bate, Dewey Fire Chief Rick Delmore, borough Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Sherer and Borough Manager Cathy Kichline, among other officials.

In the future, it was noted, other community members such as local clergy may be invited to join the committee, in order to provide their input about the plans being developed.

"This is probably (going to be) a several-phase project," Rieger said.


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