Lower Merion will purchase a Bala Cynwyd residence to house volunteer firefighters
Officials say providing firefighter housing is a key recruitment and retention tool as volunteer participation lags and calls for service rise.
Lower Merion Township will purchase a residential home in Bala Cynwyd to house volunteer firefighters, a move officials say is key in recruiting and retaining personnel as the fire department contends with dwindling volunteer participation and increased calls for service.
The township’s board of commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the purchase of 303 Tregaron Rd. last night.
Lower Merion will put $500,000 toward purchasing the building, and the Union Fire Association, one of the seven fire companies that make up the Lower Merion Fire Department, will pay $205,000 plus closing costs as an interest-free loan to the township.
The Union Fire Association, based in Bala Cynwyd, provides fire and emergency services to the township’s Bala Cynwyd and Merion sections. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom residence will house up to four active volunteer firefighters serving in any township fire company.
In 2022, the Union Fire Association began investigating how to improve overnight accommodations for its firefighters, both career and volunteer. The fire station at the time decided that its existing second-floor social hall should be converted to add bunk rooms and living facilities. The township committed $500,000 toward the project.
Yet bids received earlier this year put the project $1 million over budget, prompting the township and Union Fire Association to consider alternatives.
When an adjacent residential property, 303 Tregaron Rd., came on the market this summer, the property owner, township, and fire company agreed on a sale price of $705,000.
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The township will pay for insurance and major repairs, and the fire company will be responsible for routine maintenance, administrative responsibilities for the live-in firefighter program, and minor repairs.
At the Wednesday meeting, board president Todd Sinai said it’s “a delight to be able to help” the fire company.
Providing living quarters for firefighters is seen as an important recruitment and retention tool in the township, which is facing a drop in participation from volunteer firefighters, who make up the bulk of its labor force.
The Gladwyne Fire Company, also a member of the Lower Merion Fire Department, houses volunteer firefighters at its station, a nearby apartment, and a single-family home.
Gladwyne’s housing program “continues to be one of the most effective and robust recruitment and retention tools not only within Lower Merion Township but throughout the region,” Blaine Leis, Gladwyne’s fire chief, wrote in a 2025 report.
The Lower Merion Fire Department has asked the township for a significant funding boost in 2027, citing rising costs, increased calls for service, and the dwindling volunteer base, which fire department officials say requires hiring additional full-time personnel.
Inquirer Lower Merion
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