Members of the Briarcliffe Fire Company in Darby Township were allegedly overheard discussing how the time had come to leave the township because Black residents were moving into the area.
DELAWARE COUNTY — A volunteer fire company in Pennsylvania has disbanded months after it was suspended when another fire company allegedly heard members using racial slurs and disparaging Black residents in a virtual meeting.
In a letter to Darby Township commissioners Wednesday, the Briarcliffe Fire Company announced it was shutting down.
“The Briarcliffe Fire Company strongly denies that anyone in the township was ever treated differently or discriminated against based upon their race,” the company’s lawyer Robert Ewing wrote in the letter.
The company was suspended in February after members apparently failed to disconnect from an online meeting with local officials and the two other firehouses. In a nearly two-hour conversation, Briarcliffe firefighters allegedly bemoaned how the time had come to leave the township because Black residents continue moving into the area.
One firefighter is alleged to have mocked the name of an 8-year-old Black girl, Fanta Bility, who was killed by police gunfire in Sharon Hill last summer.
An investigation by the Delaware County district attorney determined the language was “hateful and deeply offensive,” but not criminal.
“Unfortunately in light of the frenzied public perception not based in fact, the Briarcliffe Fire Company can no longer function,” the fire company attorney wrote in the letter to township commissioners. “Their members are volunteers who do not want to continue risking their lives if they are not appreciated.”
Members of the Delaware County Black Caucus are pressing to prevent Briarcliffe’s volunteers from working with another fire company in the county, news outlets reported.
Politics
Breaking down IVF: What it is and why it’s important in the fight for reproductive rights
In vitro fertilization, or IVF, has been at the forefront of a major reproductive rights battle, but what exactly is it? For many Americans, in...
Fetterman introduces bill to protect affordable internet access for 23 million households
The Affordable Connectivity Program expired on Tuesday due to Republican opposition, putting affordable high-speed internet access at risk for 23...
Democrats advance election bill in Pennsylvania long sought by counties to process ballots faster
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill long sought by counties seeking help to manage huge...
Local News
Look out, Sheetz, Wawa is officially moving into your territory with Central Pa. expansion
The Delaware County-based convenience store chain broke ground on its first Dauphin County location Wednesday in Middletown, with five more stores...
What do you know about Wawa? 7 fun facts about Pennsylvania’s beloved convenience store
Wawa has 60 years of Pennsylvania roots, and today the commonwealth’s largest private company has more than 1,000 locations along the east coast....