The president’s message on page two of the Mountville Fire Company’s FALL/WINTER 2014 newsletter is about fire service traditions, the decline of volunteers and, yes, consolidation of human and equipment resources.

Mountville Fire Company No. 1 has recently entered into “preliminary talks” with West Hempfield Fire and Rescue; Hempfield Fire Company; Rohrerstown Fire Company and East Petersburg Fire Company to consolidate resources to build a formidable fire fighting organization.

The aggregated area covered by these separate entities is significantly greater than 2.7 square miles.