Another Firefighter Speaks Out!!

We hope this gets to you. We as members of the Bensalem Township Fire Service have sat by and watched what is happening to the fire service in Bensalem at the hands of PSD Harran and members of the Fire Marshal's office. The false information coming out of the Fire Marshal's office since the dismissal of FM Scanlon is embarrassing to the fire service in Bensalem. We watched as our own fire department was lead down the wrong path so one of our members could get a paid position with the Fire Marshal's office. This position was not offered to anyone else or even advertised. When someone raised concerns about the location of the "fire school" in the township, they were told they were against the project. Instead of listening to the concerns, they called that fire chief a trouble maker. Now, we are stuck with a useless facility. Well, that is not completely true; we can do all the things there that we use to do in our local response area. When concerns were raised about the paid fire company, PSD Harran said the people raising the issues were against the paid fire service. That was not true. Some of the questions were regarding how we were going to pay for the service once the grant ran out. To this day, we still don't know the answers! Despite the council of Bensalem (see the budget hearing council meeting video) and the fire service repeatedly asking how this was to be paid for, PSD Harran has offered no plan. When members of the fire service went to the Mayor about their concerns he referred us to PSD Harran. At a meeting at the end of 2010, PSD Harran was supposed to address all of our concerns regarding issues with the fire service in Bensalem and provide us with a copy of the SAFER grant that the township was awarded. PSD Harran refused to give us a copy of the SAFER grant or discuss it with us. PSD Harran refused to explain a funding plan for the paid fire service. PSD Harran told us to wait until the December 6^th, council meeting and we would find out. We waited…at that meeting NONE OF OUR ISSUES WERE MENTIONED OR ADDRESSED. When PSD Harran and his group from the Fire Marshal's office began harassing station 37 we thought it was strange. But because it didn't involve us, we did nothing. Even though we knew it was wrong. One of our past chief's told us we should be ashamed of ourselves. He told us that sooner or later it would be our turn. Sure enough it is our turn. Our former chief was given a township job after supporting PSD Harran and his group. Now, we are in debt like we never were before and were sold down the drain by our former chief. Instead of dispatching the closest fire companies to calls in our area, we dispatched the "politically favored" company. When the Mayor was advised of this, he referred us to PSD Harran who said he would look into it. The practice continues today! Station 37 stood alone, now we are paying the price for not supporting them.

By the way, we have learned that there WAS NO EVIDENCE that Chief Troisi refused to give water to E-222. In fact, E-37 immediately gave water to E-222 when it arrived at the fire on State road. The police investigation found nothing. They trashed Station 37's reputation in the media. Now that it was found out to be false. We have seen nothing in the media from PSD Harran stating that his police investigation found nothing. They have threatened the Chief of station 37 with arrest, repeatedly harassed them after they were awarded a grant for a new marine unit (which will cost the township nothing). Provided false and damaging information about them and threatened their members. SOONER OR LATER WE AS THE FIRE SERVICE AND THE PUBLIC NEED TO CONTACT STATION 37 AND SUPPORT THEM. The Mayor should be embarrassed that he has permitted this to go on so long. Shame on you for turning your back on dedicated firefighters while supporting a program that has been dishonest, deceitful and corrupt from the beginning.