Several fire departments in Butler County report record calls in 2022
Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company answered the highest number of both fire and EMS calls ever in 2022. The company finished the year with 508 responses, while Slippery Rock EMS handled 1,457 calls, according to the fire chief.
“All calls got handled and got handled with the help, we had a strong group of college kids in there for fall semester,” said chief Ryan Hanchosky. “That helps us out with manpower. I’m pretty excited that we're getting a good core of college kids for the spring semester.”
Slippery Rock VFC was not the only fire company in Butler County that had a record-breaking number of calls in 2022. Fire departments in growing communities in the county also saw record calls, in part because of the mutual aid agreements that exist between many departments.
Chris Switala, chief of Butler Bureau of Fire, said the department responded to 3,567 calls — an increase from 2021. More than 72% of the calls were for rescue and emergency medical reasons, according to data collected by the bureau.
The number of calls was high, in part, because sometimes other departments needed equipment that the Butler bureau has, he said.
“We're assisting with some of the volunteer fire departments more,” Switala said. “Some of it is because we have the tower, and there are only a few aerial apparatuses in the county. That's just a couple calls here and there.”
Staffing is one of the biggest challenges fire departments face consistently, according to Michael Hanks, chief of the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, which can affect response times.
Hanks said his department responded to 970 calls in 2022, and despite the rising number of calls, the levy-funded department still managed to consistently cover all of the emergencies with enough staff members.
“It's just a growing community, and there's more businesses and everything else,” Hanks said of the increase in calls. “Our average response time was seven-and-a-half minutes, and we covered all the calls.”
Hanks said the average number of firefighters initially on a scene was 3.35 per call, and the company had 9.44 firefighters per response on average.
Switala said the average response time for the Butler bureau was four minutes and 30 seconds in 2022.
Scott Frederick, emergency services director for Butler Township, said the average dispatch-to-arrival time for the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District was 11 minutes and 12 seconds for fires and eight minutes and six seconds for vehicle accidents.
Frederick also said staffing constantly is fluctuating. In response, the township is working on a reintegration process for fire volunteers who have been away from the department for some time.
“We're always gaining people and always losing people,” Frederick said. “If somebody wants to get back into it, there is a reorientation process that we're working on finalizing now.”
Frederick said staffing remained relatively consistent in Butler Township in 2022.
He also said the district’s dispatch-to-arrival time improved for all types of responses last year. The average time was 11 minutes and 12 seconds for fire response, and eight minutes and six seconds for vehicle accidents. Call-to-en route time improved as well, with an average of three minutes and 12 seconds for EMS response, Frederick said.
Frederick said response times could be improved as the dozen-or-so 2022 recruits get more experience with the department.
“There is always room for improvement, and we are always looking for new members, operational and administrative,” Frederick said.
Cranberry Township VFC and the Butler Bureau of Fire are funded by their municipalities, but the Butler bureau is the only department in Butler County with paid staff members.
Hanchosky said the Slippery Rock company gets recruits from college classes, and they often get the opportunity to be trained while running calls, and perform backing duties for the experienced firefighters.
Hanchosky said about 10 students got involved with Slippery Rock VFC in 2022. They got part of their training responding to the automatic fire alarms in the SRU dorms, which accounted for about 170 of the department’s 508 calls in 2022.
“A majority of them do come in from other areas that have training. Some come in not fully trained; they all continue to do their training,” Hanchosky said.
In addition to staffing, fire departments also are constantly fighting for funding.
Frederick said the Butler fire district has a gun raffle every year — its largest annual fundraiser — and the department has other ways of restoring money.
The biggest cost for departments comes from the purchasing of new equipment, which Frederick said Butler Township’s administrators plan for well in advance.
“What's it going to take to replace it in 10 years, 20 years? What's that going to look like in 20 years, and how will we take on that?” Frederick asked. “We're not slated for any major apparatus replacements this year; that's going to be a process.”
The Butler Township VFD and the Butler Bureau of Fire both got new fire engines in 2021, so neither department is looking at major purchases this year.
According to Switala, the Butler bureau needs up-to-date equipment because of the high number of calls the department receives. Additionally, the urban environment, where buildings of various architectures are in close proximity to one another, creates some particularly difficult fire situations.
An accidental grease fire in December on Third Street caused extensive damage to a city home and resulted in a firefighter being taken to a hospital. Switala said it was the bureau’s biggest fire of 2022, and it reinforced the need for adequate staffing, good training and effective equipment.
“The Third Street fire was our most difficult one to fight because of the fire being in concealed spaces and with the metal roof,” Switala said. “It just kind of reinforced the standard tactics and to know the construction in our community.”
The Slippery Rock fire company got a new engine this month, which replaced a vehicle that had been in service since 1994, Hanchosky said.
Hanchosky said the department is taking on more training in 2023, with water and ice rescues being a focus. A major flooding event took place in Slippery Rock in August, so the department members need to be prepared, Hanchosky said.
“Our goal for 2023 is to do a lot of training,” Hanchosky said. “We have water rescue classes coming, basic vehicle rescues coming in the spring. We're pretty excited to get on board with that.”
Hanchosky also said funding will be a continuous challenge in 2023, so the department can keep up its regular operations.
“We're just continuing to operate,” Hanchosky said. “That's a challenge all fire departments run into, having funding to keep on putting fuel in the trucks, having equipment.”
Butler Bureau of Fire — Four minutes and 30 seconds
Butler Township Volunteer Fire District — 11 minutes and 12 seconds for fire response; eight minutes and six seconds for vehicle accidents
Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company — Seven minutes and 30 seconds
