By ERIC SLAGLE Daily News Staff Writer
eslagle@dailynewsemail.com
Forward Township is moving ahead with
its plans to name a single fire chief for the municipality’s three fire
departments.
At a meeting Thursday, township
supervisors approved a measure that will make Tony Piscitelli the
township’s recognized fire chief as of
May 1.
Piscitelli, who is a member of the Gallatin Sunnyside Volunteer Fire
Department, will have two assistant chiefs serving under him.
Supervisors did not say who those assistant chiefs will be.
Board of supervisors chairman Tom DeRosa said they will appoint people
to those two positions at a future meeting.
Supervisors introduced the idea of consolidating leadership between its
departments at a meeting last month. Township
leaders said there have been disputes for years over which department is
in charge at fire scenes.
Chief Steve Pierce of Forward Township
VFD, who attended the meeting, said firefighters never argue about it at
emergency scenes but do sometimes have arguments about who was in
command afterward.
Supervisors did not appoint a term for the new chief.
District solicitor Bernie Schneider said the supervisors are not
appointing the chief per se, because the chief is not a
township employee.
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Rather, he said, they are voting that Piscitelli will be recognized as
chief by the township. Schneider said
supervisors can vote to recognize another person as chief at any time.
Bunola VFD is the township’s third fire
department.
Supervisor Dave Magiske reported that township
police Officer in Charge Robert Curdie is recovering from an automobile
accident that occurred Tuesday afternoon.
Curdie was in a police cruiser in the parking lot of a gas station along
Route 51 when another vehicle veered off the highway and struck the
police car.
Magiske said Curdie plans to return to work Monday.
Supervisors noted the police department has two officers off from work
because of injuries.
Officer Jason Miller is out with a back injury he sustained on a call
Feb. 17.
In other news, Supervisor Tom Headley announced that Giant Eagle has
notified the township it is considering
putting a GetGo gas station at the location of the former Payday’s
supermarket along Route 51.
Headley said the supermarket chain had contacted the
township about a culvert on the property of the proposed
gas station.
The letter to the township indicated
that the site developer is looking to shorten the length of the culvert.
Headley said the gas station could bring more tax revenue to the
township and that would be a good
thing, but he said he also has concerns that if it is built, the area
could see an increase in petty crimes such as gas theft and shoplifting.
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