With suspense and anticipation palpable in the air, members, firefighters and volunteers with the Community Fire Company of New Tripoli gathered in the social hall of the fire station Monday evening.

New Tripoli Bank President and CEO David Hunsicker, EFO and CFO Michele Hunsicker and EVP and Chief Lending Officer John M. Hayes followed, sitting at a table in the front.

Fire Company President Bruce Dalrymple opened the meeting then noted the fire company had received a letter from New Tripoli Bank.

David Hunsicker then stood and addressed the audience.

“Word is out you guys are looking to add an addition,” Hunsicker said.

Hunsicker then explained he had invited fire company Vice President and Building Committee Chair Scott Koenig and the other fire company members to a bank board meeting, where they explained the proposal for the fire station expansion.

“The bank wanted to give you a good start,” Hunsicker said. “This is only a start. This is our way of giving back to the community.”

With that said, Michele Hunsicker and Hayes were soon standing at the front of the room holding a very large facsimile of a check for $100,000.

After more than three years of extensive research and planning, Community Fire Company of New Tripoli was finally ready to move into the final stages of expanding its fire station.

And, they had a generous $100,000 donation from the bank with which to begin.

The station, built in the 1980s, has quickly grown inadequate in meeting the needs of current fire personnel and the surrounding community that covers 41.3 square miles and 4,000 residents.

According to Koenig, one truck is being stored outside due to lack of space. There remains little room to walk around or reload the trucks.

The lack of space also limits fire company engineers from working on and maintaining the trucks.

Fire Chief Peter Christ said in addition to insufficient truck space, gear lockers can no longer accommodate all the firefighters due to personnel increases over the past five years.

“Not only do we not have the room to accommodate everyone but the location of the lockers has become a safety concern because of their proximity to an existing fire truck,” Christ said.

Supporting the Community Fire Company’s expansion plan is a 2016 study done by McGarth Consulting.

The study was initiated by the Lynn Township supervisors and suggests larger doors, plus other recommendations be incorporated into the buildings design.

Jerdon Construction Service LLC, Allentown, and Watkins Architect, Fleetwood, will spearhead the project.

The reconstructed bay area of the station will be 48 feet longer and 16 feet deeper with six bays instead of the present four and will feature a direct exhaust extraction system.

The increased depth of the station will allow for longer trucks in the future.

Christ said the new design would also be able to accommodate a second floor at the south end of the building should the need arise.

He also said that after much discussion with Jerdon and Watkins, it was more cost effective to start from scratch rather than work around the existing building.

Additional features include an office for the fire chief and deputy fire chief, as well as an office to be shared by the line officers.

Currently, seven officers share a 128-square-foot office.

There will be one bay at the north end of the building designated for an ambulance service, currently provided by Cetronia Ambulance Corps.

Ambulance corps personnel will have their own quarters separate from firefighters.

As Cetronia has taken over emergency medical services in Lynn Township, it makes sense for the ambulances and personnel to be located in the area where the most calls occur.

Currently, the rescue truck is dispatched along with EMS on certain calls.

New Tripoli Fire Company Safety Officer Don Christ said firefighters are not only trained in firefighting and rescue but also have medical training.

Currently, the fire company has several emergency medical technicians and emergency medical responders.

Dalrymple said they have a good rapport with Cetronia Ambulances Corps, and two firefighters are currently employed by the ambulance service stationed in Lynn Township.

With plans in place and the price tag of $1.233 million, volunteers continue to find ways to help earn funds.

The township has set aside $175,000 for the EMS portion of the station and $25,000 to fund the fire portion.

A new building account has been created and will accept public and private donations.

Since the founding of the Weisenberg Township Volunteer Fire Department, the fire company substation at Lynnville is no longer needed.

The building and property will be sold with proceeds used toward the New Tripoli station project.

Dalrymple said the Community Fire Company of New Tripoli gets only a 30-percent return from fundraising letters.

Volunteers have organized potato filling, cookie and hoagie sales, food stands at public events, and lottery calendars.

On Sept. 23, the fire company will have a Guns and Cash Bash.

Chief Christ said the fire company needs team members, kitchen help and volunteers willing to help at these functions.

“People mistakenly think a portion of their taxes go directly to the fire service and that is not the case,” Dalrymple said.

Chief Christ said they would like to break ground in spring 2018.

Construction will take six to seven months with the truck bays to be completed first.

During that time, the trucks will be housed together on the outskirts of town where Chief Christ says there will be no delay in time responding to calls.

Community Fire Company of New Tripoli is a 501c3 all volunteer organization with 37 active firefighters and six fire police.

Currently, 17 firefighters hold the firefighter I certification or above, which requires a minimum of 160 hours of training.

Chief Christ said they were recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the state fire commissioner for advanced vehicle and machinery rescue.

“We also have over 50 percent of our firefighters certified to National Professional Qualifications Standards,” Chief Christ said.

“It’s up to the younger generation to continue the tradition,” said Don Christ, who has more than 50 years of voluntary service. “They need something to be proud of.

“They spend all of this time training and away from home and deserve something to show for it.”

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Editor’s note: Scott Koenig and Peter Christ contributed to this article.