The membership of two of Chester County’s oldest fire companies – the Avondale Fire Company (AFC) and the West Grove Fire Company (WGFC) – approved a plan to merge into a single fire department at meetings held on Saturday.The approval of the historic merger plan is the result of more than 18 months of meetings and discussions among the organizations, area municipal officials and experts, which concluded in historic votes by each company to approve the recommended plan. A new, not-for-profit organization will now be formed to provide fire, rescue and EMS emergency services to areas currently served by the AFC & WGFC. The yet-to-be-named fire company will cover more than 120 square miles across portions of southern Chester County, becoming the largest fire district in the county.
In a joint statement, the Presidents of the two companies commented on the approved merger plan: “This is a historic moment for both companies and for the community in this portion of southern Chester County, as we have secured a more efficient and effective plan to provide emergency services now and for the future,” said Guy Swift,
President, AFC and Neil Vaughn, President, WGFC. “With the support of municipal officials and the participation and endorsement of our members, two historic fire companies with a combined 259 years of emergency service will now come together committed to safety, guided by integrity, and rooted in community.”
Under the merger plan, the new fire company will operate as a single membership organization, overseen by a single administrative and operational leadership team and board of directors, and will continue to operate all four fire stations. Both companies will currently operate as “combination” fire departments, meaning they have both volunteer and career first responders – those volunteer members and career employees will be retained and come together as the new organization is formed. The merger plan includes combining the fire departments and associated ambulance and fireman’s relief associations into a single organization.
It is expected that the necessary steps to form a new organization and complete the merger will take approximately 12 months, which includes time for approvals by the necessary state and county agencies and courts which review the creation and merger of non-profit organizations. During this next period, the two fire departments will continue to operate independently while deepening their existing partnership. Pending approvals, the new fire department and leadership are expected to be in place in January of 2027.
Formed in 1887, the Avondale Fire Company serves Avondale Borough, New Garden Township and a portion of Franklin, West Marlborough and London Britain Townships with a fire station along Route 41 in Avondale. In 2024, the AFC responded to 538 fire and 1883 EMS emergencies.
Operating since 1904, the West Grove Fire Company serves a portion of Franklin and London Britain Townships, and all of New London, Penn, and London Grove Townships, and West Grove Borough. It also provides EMS services for the southwest portion of Londonderry Township. The WGFC operates three stations – in West Grove Borough, along Route 896 in New London, and at Nichol Park along 896 in London Britain Township. In 2024, the WGFC responded to 863 fire and 3663 EMS emergencies.
Over the past year, the AFC and WGFC were assisted in this effort by Rob Brady of ROBB Consulting, a leading expert in emergency services organizational mergers, consolidations and strategic planning. Those services were funded by a grant made possible through the efforts of Pennsylvania State Senator, the Honorable John Kane.
