Belle Valley FD

10/22/2026

CALL TO ACTION: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD BEFORE OCTOBER 27!

Belle Valley needs the community’s support. Your fire protection may depend on it.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Millcreek Township Supervisors will have an opportunity at their meeting to address the growing threat to Belle Valley Fire Department and the residents we serve.

The Fire and EMS Commission has recommended terminating Belle Valley as a service provider if the department’s members refuse to sign the Fire Protection, Ambulance and Emergency Services Agreement that township officials have acknowledged is flawed and needs to be renegotiated. Meanwhile, West Ridge Fire Department is seeking to terminate that agreement, meaning fully half of the township’s volunteer fire departments have raised serious concerns about this deficient agreement.

This is no way to treat the volunteers who protect our community.

We urge Millcreek Township residents to email the Supervisors before Tuesday’s meeting and demand responsible leadership.

• Supervisor Jim Bock [email protected]
• Supervisor Kim Clear [email protected]
• Supervisor Kylie Morris [email protected]

Tell them to:

• Protect Belle Valley and reject the recommendation to terminate the department as a service provider.
• Renegotiate the flawed agreement rather than force volunteer firefighters to accept unacceptable terms under a deadline.
• Respect the volunteer fire departments that serve this community, including their independence and the assets they own.
• Put public safety first and explain how fire protection will be maintained before taking any action that could jeopardize service to residents.

You do not have to be a Belle Valley firefighter or member to speak up. You simply have to be a resident who believes the township should work with its volunteer fire departments, not threaten their future.

Email the Millcreek Township Supervisors before Oct. 27! Ask them to do their jobs, exercise responsible leadership and protect the fire service our community depends on.

When the people who answer the call need the community to stand with them, make sure your voice is heard.

Protect Belle Valley. Respect our volunteers. Put public safety first.

10/21/2026

Belle Valley Fire Department has formally raised serious concerns with Millcreek Township Supervisors following recent actions at the Fire & EMS Commission meeting on Thursday.

After engaging in good-faith discussions with the Township, we were troubled by threats involving our state Volunteer Firefighters’ Relief Association funds and our status as a recognized volunteer fire department, while negotiations were still underway. We also raised concerns about our designated representative being excluded from official communications because of a known error in the Commission’s email distribution list.

We remain committed to protecting the residents of Millcreek Township. We are asking for good-faith negotiations, accountability, reliable communication, and a fair agreement that respects the independence of our volunteer fire departments.

Our commitment to this community has not changed. We will continue to advocate for our firefighters, our department, and the residents we are proud to serve.

Read our full letter here:

Belle Valley Volunteer Fire Department releases latest communications with Millcreek Supervisors

10/19/2026

Earlier today, West Ridge Fire Department notified Millcreek Township that unless the Township remedies violations of the Fire Protection, Ambulance and Emergency Services Agreement within 10 days, West Ridge will move to terminate the contract.

This is a statement from Belle Valley Fire Department President Dave Nientimp:

“Belle Valley Fire Department stands with West Ridge Fire Department in its efforts to ensure that Millcreek Township honors its contractual obligations and respects the independence of the volunteer fire departments that serve this community.

“West Ridge's announcement reflects serious concerns about the future of the volunteer fire service in Millcreek Township. Issues involving contractual commitments, incident command, volunteer recruitment and retention, and the use and care of fire apparatus deserve direct answers and meaningful resolution.

“Volunteer fire departments have a long history of protecting Millcreek Township residents. We contribute countless hours, invest in equipment and training, and maintain the local relationships that are essential to an effective emergency response system. The independence of the volunteer departments is not an obstacle to cooperation. It is a longstanding part of the community's fire service structure that deserves respect.

“Belle Valley believes the Township and its volunteer fire departments should be able to work together in a way that protects public safety, establishes clear expectations, and honors existing agreements. That requires good-faith negotiations, accountability, and a commitment to preserving a strong volunteer fire service for the future.

“We hope Millcreek Township uses the 10-day period identified by West Ridge to address the outstanding issues and reach a resolution. The community is best served when its volunteer fire departments have the resources, support, and independence necessary to carry out their responsibilities.

“Belle Valley will continue to focus on serving our residents while advocating for a fair, transparent, and sustainable future for the volunteer fire service in Millcreek Township.”

10/15/2026

Belle Valley only learned this afternoon that Millcreek Fire Chief Mike Cliff intends to force through the Fire & Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Commission at 6 pm tonight motions to cancel an agreement Belle Valley and the Township have had in place since 1999. Chief Cliff is also making a play for the funds we receive from the state as a recognized volunteer fire department for Millcreek Township.

We have sat down twice with Township officials to try and come to a resolution. We have been operating in good faith. But this sneaky move from Chief Cliff makes us question his intention to work with the volunteer departments.

We also want to make clear: per the 1999 agreement, only the Township Supervisors can decide to terminate that agreement. The Fire Chief does not have that authority.

If you want to learn more about this, join us at the meeting tonight at 6 pm at the Millcreek Township Building.

10/11/2026

Our hearts are broken by the horrific loss of life in our region. The grief left in the wake of this tragedy is difficult to comprehend.

We extend our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones, and we hold the entire community in our thoughts during this devastating time.

We are grateful for the first responders who answered the call and for the courage and compassion of those working to support the victims, their families, and everyone affected.

We mourns alongside those who have suffered an unimaginable loss.

10/01/2026

We had our second meeting with Millcreek Township officials this afternoon, and there was some good, constructive conversation about the issues facing our volunteer fire departments and the communities we serve.

There is still more to discuss, but we appreciate the opportunity to have an open dialogue and work toward a better understanding of the concerns on all sides.

We’ll continue to keep our members and the community informed as those conversations move forward.

09/24/2026

We’re grateful for the opportunity to sit down today with the Millcreek Township Supervisors, Fire Chief Mike Cliff, and Township Solicitor Mark Shaw to discuss how we can return to the original intent behind the creation of the paid fire department: to supplement the volunteer departments.

We appreciate Supervisor Kylie Morris reaching out to begin these conversations.

Three years ago, Belle Valley Fire Department declined to sign an agreement that would have required us to turn over all of our assets to the Township. Belle Valley is a nonprofit organization with a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the equipment, trucks, station, and other assets that have been purchased by or donated to the department. Turning those assets over to another entity raises serious fiduciary concerns.

We have also been concerned by statements from some Township officials indicating an interest in “merging” or “consolidating” the volunteer departments under Township control.

Our goal is straightforward: to find a path forward that allows the Millcreek Township Fire Department and the volunteer departments to work together as originally intended: cooperating, coordinating, and supporting one another while preserving the independence of the volunteer fire departments that have served Millcreek Township for generations with the shared goal of providing the highest level of service to the residents of Millcreek Township.

We presented the Supervisors with a revised agreement that we believe provides a framework for doing exactly that. We look forward to continuing the conversation.

09/09/2026

Millcreek Township Must Follow Its Own Ordinance!

Supervisor Kim Clear’s statement is deeply troubling because it misrepresents both the facts and the law governing Millcreek Township’s volunteer fire departments.

The Township’s ordinance is not ambiguous.

It expressly recognizes four separate volunteer fire departments: West Lake, West Ridge, Kearsarge, and Belle Valley. It does not authorize the Township to eliminate those departments, force them into a single consolidated organization, or place their governance under the Township Fire Chief.

In fact, the ordinance says precisely the opposite.

Section 55-27(C) states that: “The governance of the individual volunteer departments by the Township Fire Chief will not usurp or otherwise affect the conduct of the volunteer departments as presently exercised by their duly elected officers…”

And nowhere does the ordinance authorize the Township Fire Chief or the Board of Supervisors to eliminate those individual departments and force them into a single organization under Township control. In fact, the ordinance specifically protects the independent governance of those departments.

Section 55-27(C) states that the governance of the individual volunteer departments by the Township Fire Chief “will not usurp or otherwise affect” the conduct of those departments by their duly elected officers.

The Township cannot rewrite an ordinance through a fire chief's directives.

It cannot erase four legally recognized volunteer departments that are independent nonprofit organizations by administrative fiat.

And it cannot use the transition to a paid department as a pretext to seize control of organizations that the ordinance expressly recognizes and protects.

This Is Bigger Than Belle Valley

The Township’s attempt to portray this as a dispute with one volunteer department is a distraction. What’s at stake here is nearly $1 million in Volunteer Firefighters' Relief funds that supports the volunteer fire departments serving Millcreek residents. Those funds cannot be used by any fire department that is not a volunteer organization - unless a municipality eliminates the volunteer departments.

If the Township’s plan is to consolidate or eliminate the four volunteer departments, then where does that money go?

Who gets it? Who controls it? And under what authority? Is this how the Township plans to pay for the $2.2 million fire truck it purchased last year without developing a funding plan for it?

The public deserves answers.

Belle Valley Fire Department is now urging Millcreek Township supervisors to take a stand in an ongoing controversy with Millcreek Fire Department. Millcreek Township has given Belle Valley until t…

09/06/2026

An Open Letter to Millcreek Township. Millcreek residents deserve answers.

The Township says it wants to preserve our volunteer fire departments. The Fire Chief is publicly talking about a plan to “fully merge into one department.”

Ask the Supervisors to clear this up!

📧 Email the Supervisors today. Tell them you want clear answers about the future of Millcreek’s volunteer fire departments.

Supervisor Jim Bock [email protected]
Supervisor Kim Clear [email protected]
Supervisor Kylie Morris [email protected]

Ask the Supervisors to:

1. Clearly state whether the independent volunteer fire departments will remain independent.

2. State whether the Board supports Chief Cliff’s plan to “fully merge into one department.”

3. If it does not, publicly reject that plan.

4. Make clear whether signing the proposed agreement puts Belle Valley on a path toward merger into one department that would eliminate the volunteer departments.

Read the full letter from Belle Valley that lays out the questions the Board needs to answer.

If the Board truly intends to preserve the volunteer fire departments, then it is time for the Board to say so clearly, direct its administration accordingly.