The Allegheny Township supervisors Thursday backed off plans — at least temporarily — to demote the Allegheny Township Volunteer Fire Department to secondary status in favor of neighboring Duncansville’s fire company, after an outcry from Allegheny firefighters and their supporters, who outnumbered the seats in the township meeting room.

The outcry against naming the Duncansville Volunteer Fire Company the primary responder lasted more than an hour, but eventually Supervisors Chairman Dave Burchfield moved to make the change, based on a series of grievances against the township department.

But that never got a second from either of the other two supervisors, as residents suggested postponing the decision for a month, with support from local Republican committeewoman Karen Bubier, who scolded the principals for being Type A personalities who were being bullheaded because they felt disrespected. “If I was a teacher, I’d grade you (all) an F,” Bubier said. “Shake hands and start again.”

The supervisors had prepared a press release listing their grievances, but Burchfield declined to share it after the meeting, although based on the discussion they included an alleged lack of robust responses to many calls for service by the department; habitual unwillingness to share financial data with the supervisors; an attitude of uncooperativeness with the supervisors and other fire departments; inaction on an offer to help raise money for turnout gear; a plan to use a fire truck as collateral for a loan to buy a bar that would become a social hall that could generate revenue for the department; and the department’s recently having run afoul of the Altoona Water Authority for improper use of fire hydrants.

Some of those grievances may have been justified prior to a few years ago, according to department President Mike Luther, Chief Mike Boring and firefighters Doug Pilot and Tom Smith — a former chief.

But under Luther and Boring, the department has been trying hard to do better, they said. All the department leaders need now is a clear set of written rules and a chance to show the supervisors they’re willing, they said.

“We’re more than willing,” Luther said, standing outside afterward in the cold. “Absolutely,” Boring said.

The current department leaders have received inadequate guidance not only from the supervisors but also from their predecessors in the department, they said.

Supervisor guidance is welcome now, they said.

Previous issues with lack of firefighter participation are being fixed, with a good training program, a healthy schedule of fundraisers, discussions with other area fire chiefs on how to improve and charity efforts to help fire victims, according to Luther and Boring.

The department has abandoned the plans to obtain the former Aviation Inn to create a social hall, like other fire companies have done, Luther said.

Still, that plan was done in good faith, with department lawyers giving their blessing on all aspects, including the idea of using an old truck as collateral, Luther said.

The idea for using the truck was greenlighted in favor of an alternate plan that would have used department certificates of deposit as collateral, because that might have drawn community backlash due to an impression that it put taxpayer funds at risk, Luther said.

A penalty imposed by the Altoona Water Authority for using water from hydrants to help recharge a struggling resident whose well was failing and for filling pools as a department fundraiser is likely to be expunged, according to Boring. The issue resulted from department members not realizing that the current authority policy requires obtaining water from a bulk water fill station at the authority’s water yard in the city, Boring said. Discussions with authority officials has put the department back in the good graces of the authority’s billing director, according to Boring.

The supervisors were more reserved in their judgment about what transpired Thursday.

He needs to do some research before deciding how he’ll ultimately vote on the matter of which department is designated the primary one for the township, said Supervisor Fred Imler.

“I’ll decide what is in the best interest of the residents and businesses,” Imler said.

If Fire Department officials reach out to him, he’ll talk, “but I’m not kissing anybody’s butt,” he said.

He wasn’t happy with some of the comments he heard in the meeting, he added.

Still, “tomorrow is a different day,” he said.

Burchfield will review and verify documentation supplied by the department, he said.

That documentation arrived a few days ago, despite its having been requested in August, one township official said.

Asked by Bubier if he was willing to reach “across the aisle,” Burchfield quipped, “you’ll have to come and mediate.”

Anthony Luther, Mike’s brother, questioned the safety of executing the supervisors’ plan.

How would Duncansville be able to protect remote areas of the township, where there are few or no hydrants, especially as Duncansville has fewer trucks and far less tanker capacity.

Actually, redesignating the Allegheny Department as secondary, while clearly significant for department members, who have pride in their organization, might not have much practical effect — given that call priority (“box”) assignments governing alarms at the 911 center are based on which company can get there quickest and deal with the situation most effectively, according to township solicitor Patrick Fanelli, speaking after the meeting.

More concerning than whatever practical effect on calls the proposed change would have was the threat expressed by some department members that demoting Allegheny could result in members quitting and even dissolution of the department — feelings expressed before the supervisors said they would be willing to table the matter.

But even at that point, other members said they’d continue to serve.

“We’ll still answer the bells,” Boring said. “We’re not going to back down.”

“I’m not asking you to back down, I’m asking you to step up,” Burchfield said.

The board has the legal authority to demote Allegheny to secondary fire department for the township, Fanelli said.

“We’re trying to do the right thing,” Luther said.

The supervisors meet next at 8 a.m. Jan. 5.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.