Lower Macungie Fire Chief Dave Nosal attended the Dec. 8 Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners meeting to talk about issues with commercial businesses.

Nosal talked about the many different types of alarms from fire and smoke to CO2 detectors as well as alarms which warn about water within a building.

Alarms can be activated at various times of the day but Nosal said alarms activated after hours become a problem especially for those who do not notify the fire department. Some businesses provide information to assist the fire department such as location of a locked box where entry instructions are available. Phone numbers, keys and other methods of entry are available in these boxes. If the information is unavailable, it then becomes a problem entering the building.

Forced entry becomes an issue when time is important. For instance, if there is a fire or a broken water line, it’s important to make quick decisions.

So if a building must be forcibly entered, after the emergency has been resolved, Nosal said how is the building re-secured or how is the building guarded through the off hours. He also asked who has responsibility for an unsecured building after an emergency. The fire department does not want it to be their responsibility. Nosal suggested businesses work out a plan so this situation is stated and understood.

In other business, the Smith farm and the Krause farm are under the final arrangements for preservation by the township. The Krause farm was purchased for $46,000 and the Smith farm for $36,000.

The shredding event was a success. There was 13,000 pounds of paper shredded.

Workshops will be made available in the near future to help with the spotted lantern fly infestation. Lehigh County and the township are working together with Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to help curtail this infestation. As the dates are chosen, the information will be released to the public. The township has volunteered to hold the meetings at the community center.

A request was made by Commissioner Richard Ward for a request for proposal for a solicitor. This request sparked a conversation about procedures. There was a concern this request was made without discussion. It should have gone to committee prior to the motion being made. The request will be forwarded to the general administration committee.