Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners met July 11 to discuss, among other issues, the shortage of firefighters.

Commissioners Joe Marx and Phil Ginder reportedly received a letter from Assistant Chief Justin Benner detailing a July 7 incident in the township.

The department responded to a vehicle fire on Route 22. According to the letter from Benner, the call came in 4:51 p.m.; however, emergency vehicles didn’t arrive on the scene until 5:05 p.m. - and only two people were on board. Backup did not arrive until at least 5:10 p.m., some of whom were from out of the township.

“I am not writing this with any ill intent toward our volunteers or department leadership,” Benner said. “However, those who are left and still responding to calls are tired. Burnout is becoming a very real concern for our remaining volunteers.”

Fire Chief David Nelson said there are currently 69 volunteers across four stations in the township - Egypt, Fullerton, Hokendauqua and West Catasauqua.

The department’s average response time is 11-1/2 minutes. The goal is to have a response time of less than nine minutes for a variety of reasons, including increased property damage or potential loss of life.

Nelson said a house can burn down in five minutes. The problem is not that they don’t have the equipment, but rather it’s that they don’t have the manpower.

Nelson believes the best solution would be to have a paid and fully staffed station able to respond to calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Outside of that station, the township would continue to use volunteers where needed.

This would not be a “solve-all,” but rather “the Band-Aid that will get us through,” Nelson said.

“We need to make the hard decisions,” Marx said in regard to the commissioners’ role in managing township issues.

In other business, Deputy Mayor Jack Meyers said the township tax office’s audit is currently being completed, with the presentation scheduled for August.

Also, the harassment charges against Mayor Michael Harakal Jr. have moved to the mediation phase, as agreed by all parties - the plaintiffs, board of commissioners and the mayor. The mediation is planned for Oct. 12 and 13 in Philadelphia.

The commissioners next meet 7 p.m. Aug. 1 in the Coplay Whitehall Sewer Authority public meeting room, 3213 MacArthur Road.