The New Tripoli Fire Company reported a record-breaking amount of fire calls in 2017, detailing the yearly report to Lynn Township supervisors at the board’s Feb. 8 meeting.

Deputy Chief Gary Kuntz Jr., who gave the report, said the company responded to 183 calls last year.

“We had 183 alarms last year, which was our most ever,” Kuntz said.

He also gave the board yearly statistics compiled from emergency reports that show how efficient the department operated on fire calls.

For 2017, dispatch to en route, or the time it took the department between receiving a call and leaving the station, was approximately five and a half minutes, according to Kuntz.

The time from dispatch to when the department arrived on scene was approximately 12 minutes and 10 seconds.

The last statistic shared with the board is that, on average, the fire company spent about 53 minutes on scene in 2017.

The fire company responded to 18 fire calls as of Feb. 4.

Kuntz also said that the fire company has seen a large influx of junior firefighters, which he called “a great thing.”

Supervisors then donated $10,000 to New Tripoli and Lynnport fire companies, with the amount being split based on the companies’ 2017 call volumes.

In other business, the board debated whether to continue being members of the Northern Region multi-municipal comprehensive plan, a plan that allows member municipalities to share zoning uses and plan for shared community goals.

Lynn Township is one of six northern Lehigh County municipalities in the 2004 multi-municipal comprehensive plan, and the committee in charge of the plan is in the process of updating the old comprehensive plan.

Supervisor Brian Dietrich, who serves as liaison for Lynn Township on the committee, said that despite an estimated cost of approximately $62,000, which would be split between the six municipalities based on population, the township would benefit from remaining part of the multi-municipal comprehensive plan.

“In my opinion, we should definitely stay part of this,” Dietrich said.

The $62,000, an estimate, includes expected grant money from the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, which the committee is favoring over another offer from engineering firm Spotts, Stevens and McCoy.

Board Chairman Justin Smith said the cost of remaining in the plan is too high, and fellow Supervisor Steve Feinour added he too was concerned about the cost.

“I believe both these fees are just ridiculous,” Smith said.

Smith, however did not shut the door on the plan.

He wants to talk with a representative from the LVPC to obtain more information on the plan

“I’d like to talk to them and maybe get a better understanding,” he said.

The board also passed a resolution to publicly support legislative efforts aimed to eliminate partisan gerrymandering in Pennsylvania after township resident William Klein provided information on resolutions other municipalities have supported.

The resolution, which is ceremonial in nature, says the Lynn Township board of supervisors supports legislative efforts to amend the Pennsylvania constitution to assign the task of legislative and congressional redistricting to an independent citizens’ redistricting commission.

Before the resolution’s passage, Klein asked the board for its support, noting partisan gerrymandering is a political problem to which all political parties are guilty of contributing.

“It’s a political problem, and it allows legislators to pick their voters,” he said. Voters are supposed to pick the legislators.”