UPPER DARBY, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A historic Delaware County fire company is being forced to pivot its mission. Due to a lack of funding, the company is being forced to sell its firehouse.
The Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1 was incorporated on April 22, 1916 and for the last 61 of those years, Peter Rorke has been a member of the company.
“I learned how to be a man there, the camaraderie, how to treat people, how to be instructed on the fire service,” said Rorke, the fire company’s president.
Over the last 110 years, Upper Darby No. 1 has been an integral part of the community and not just when it comes to fighting fires.
“We assisted the residents through their needs, pumped out basements when they were flooded, and even got cats out of trees,” he said.
But now operational, financial and structural challenges have left the organization without a sustainable path forward in its current form.
“The township has shifted from direct funding of Fire Company No. 1 to a complex reimbursement-based system for operating expenses,” said the company in a statement.
“Under this new structure, we must front the costs of utilities, maintenance, and building upkeep — with no guarantee of reimbursement. For an organization that has faced recurring annual deficits and rising costs associated with maintaining a building more than 100 years old, this is not sustainable and threatens funding reserved for the care and well-being of those who have served.”
As a result of these challenges, the company’s membership voted unanimously to sell their building. While the company looks for a path forward, it plans to move the nonprofit into something a little different.
“Right now, things will continue as usual,” Rorke shared. “Paid firemen will respond to fires and will be supplemented by our volunteers, until the building is sold. That's the way our fire company plans to proceed.”
When the building is sold, the company plans to change its nonprofit’s mission.
“Our remaining priorities will be ensuring that we are able to help support our approximately 100 past and current volunteer members and other volunteer organizations in Delaware County,” said the company in its statement.
However, Roark added this crisis is not isolated.
“It’s a national issue,” he said. “Something needs to be done to protect citizens from fire and other perils.”
According to Rorke, the station was recently appraised at $1.2 million.
Read the fire company’s full statement below:
To our fellow fire companies, township leaders, and community partners,
For more than a century, Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1 has stood ready to serve. Generations of our volunteer firefighters have answered the call at all hours, protecting our neighbors and supporting our community.
We have come to an extremely difficult but necessary decision. After years of evaluation and in light of recent developments, we are listing our fire station at 7241 West Chester Pike for sale.
This decision was not an easy one. It reflects a convergence of operational, financial, and structural challenges that have left our organization without a sustainable path forward in its current form.
Most recent among these challenges: An Upper Darby Township Fire Department memo on March 10, 2026, states that the township has shifted from direct funding of Fire Company No. 1 to a complex reimbursement-based system for operating expenses. Under this new structure, we must front the costs of utilities, maintenance, and building upkeep — with no guarantee of reimbursement. For an organization that has faced recurring annual deficits and rising costs associated with maintaining a building more than 100 years old, this is not sustainable and threatens funding reserved for the care and well-being of those who have served.
In addition, the volunteer fire company is expected to immediately address any deficiency found in the building with proposed reimbursement payments that may not adequately cover these considerable costs. Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1 has not received its first reimbursement, despite paying for fuel for Township Fire Apparatus, utilities, and other recurring expenses such as insurance, workmen’s compensation, and scheduled maintenance. In the meantime, we have reached a point where we are effectively being asked to operate as landlords — without the financial support or stability required to do so.
Compounding these challenges, Upper Darby Township has significantly expanded its career firefighting force, staffing Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1 firehouse (Station 37) with career personnel around the clock, which leaves little opportunity for volunteer participation or growth. Additionally, our station has only one operational fire truck, which further makes recruiting and retaining firefighters near impossible. Without the ability to recruit, train, and retain volunteers in meaningful roles, we can no longer fulfill the core purpose upon which our company was founded.
While there has been word that the Township will be pursuing entering into formal lease agreements with each of its five volunteer fire companies, with future funding contingent upon it, so far, we have received no communication from Upper Darby Township concerning a lease. In addition, a recent study commissioned by the Township, at a cost to taxpayers of over $90,000, recommends that the township not purchase our building because it “would take considerable renovation to remake this into a contemporary fire services station.” It is recommended the township build a new station elsewhere. This reinforces what has become increasingly clear: There is no long-term role for our station as an active volunteer firehouse.
Faced with these realities, we must act responsibly.
Listing the building for sale allows us to preserve what remains of our organization’s legacy and transition to a new mission. Our remaining priorities will be ensuring that we are able to help support our approximately 100 past and current volunteer members and other volunteer organizations in Delaware County.
This is not the outcome we would have chosen. For over 110 years, Fire Company No. 1 has been an important part of the fabric of Upper Darby. But continuing under the current conditions would jeopardize both our financial stability and our ability to honor the commitments we have made to those who served before us.
We remain proud of our history, grateful to those who have stood with us, and committed to ensuring that our legacy continues in a meaningful way.
Thank you for your understanding.
Respectfully,
Upper Darby Fire Company No. 1
