![]() ![]() In 2021, the company - run by about 40 volunteer firefighters - responded to 171 calls, compared to a recent low of 115 in 2019, Roan said. With that growth has come an increasing call volume for the Walker Township Fire Company, Fire Chief Chris Roan told Spotlight PA. Walker Township’s population grew nearly 12% from 2010 to 2020, from 4,224 to the current 4,728, according to Census Bureau data. ![]() “We have a lot more residents and a lot more people to serve,” Township Supervisor Deb Zimmerman said. The fire company is asking the township to double the current municipal fire protection tax rate from one mill to two. “This issue that dealing with has occurred many times across Pennsylvania, and it is going to continue to occur,” Jerry Ozog, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fire & Emergency Services Institute, said.Īs part of Walker Township’s real estate taxes, residents currently pay $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value for fire company services - generating $116,726 in 2021. The estimated cost today to replace both would total more than $1 million.Ībby Drey / Centre Daily Times The Walker Township Fire Company satellite station on Cemetery Lane in Zion. Two of the most essential vehicles they operate - the rescue vehicle, a 1995 Freightliner, and the water tanker truck, a 1996 International - are nearing the ends of their lifespans. The volunteer firefighters and rescuers responsible for this stretch respond to more incidents these days and also face an emergency of sorts of their own: The associated costs of their services are ballooning along with demand, and they fear they can no longer keep up with either. Gas stations, shops, and residential neighborhoods have brought more traffic and, invariably, more accidents. WALKER TOWNSHIP - On Pennsylvania Route 64 in Centre County, known locally as Nittany Valley Drive, what was once a stretch of farmland has become a bustling corridor. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. ![]()
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