Upper Milford Township Supervisors fired their emergency management coordinator Oct. 16, 2019 with neither an explanation to the public, nor to James Krippe the unpaid volunteer who had been filling the position.

At the time of the termination which occurred during a public meeting, Supervisor Robert Sentner, in a post-meeting interview, said, “We want to go in a different direction. We want to look at some other applicants.”

Upper Milford Township still, as of Jan. 24, doesn’t have a replacement, and the township website is not asking for a volunteer to fill the position.

At the regular meeting Jan. 16 the supervisors and township staffers discussed the need to change the charter (Resolution No. 2017 – 026) for the emergency services committee, but offered no reason for needing to change the resolution.

A spokesperson for the township said in an interview the resolution would be public knowledge after the supervisors approve the changes at the next regular meeting Feb. 6.

The township spokesperson would not say whether they are or are not seeking a volunteer emergency services manager.

The vice chair of the emergency services committee is Joseph Terrible, but according to the spokesperson, in case of an emergency one of the three supervisors or the Township Manager Bud Cole would assume the role of emergency services coordinator.

Supervisor Chairperson Joyce Moore declined to discuss the issue.

Lehigh County Emergency Services Chief John Kalynych, said he was not aware of the current status of the township’s emergency services coordinator. He said Pennsylvania state law requires municipalities appoint an emergency services coordinator.

According to the PA Emergency Planning website, “state law requires that every county and municipal government develop and maintain an emergency management program consistent with the state and federal emergency management program.”

As currently set up and published on the township’s official website, the emergency services committee comprises Vice Chair Joseph Terrible, Thomas Carl, Timothy Anger, the chief of the Macungie Ambulance Corps, the Emmaus Ambulance Corps, the fire chief of the Citizens Fire Company and the fire chief of the Upper Milford Western District Fire Company # 1.

The Emergency Services Committee’s next scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. April 22.

In other business, the three-person board of supervisors elected Vice Chairperson Daniel Mohr and Chairperson Joyce Moore to their present offices at the reorganization meeting Jan. 6.