Our History

During the fall of 1968, York City Fire Chief Robert W. Little, Jr., invited the Chiefs of Harrisburg and Lancaster to meet with him to discuss several items common to all three cities. These included operations and firefighter safety during civil disturbances (all three cities had civil disturbances during that summer) and upcoming labor relations issues regarding collective bargaining and binding arbitration. (Pennsylvania Act 111). The meeting was held at the Yorktowne Hotel in downtown York. The Chiefs agreed to meet again to compare notes in the months that followed. This was the foundational meeting of the Tri-City Fire Chiefs Association.

Meetings followed in 1969 in Harrisburg and Lancaster. The cities again experienced civil disturbances during that summer. Act 111 became a reality and the first firefighters' contract in Pennsylvania determined by binding arbitration was between the City of York and Local 627, IAFF. Meetings continued on a rotating basis throughout 1969. The meetings were held quarterly and usually concluded by noon.

Sometime in the 1970s, Reading and Lebanon joined the group and it was now referred to as the Third-Class Cities Fire Chiefs Association. This organization remained informal but there were some mutually agreed rules that were in place. One rule was that members were management-level only and would not include members of any bargaining unit. The group included Chiefs-of-Department and those second-in-command.

Seeing a good thing, others joined. They included Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Williamsport, Hazleton, Chester, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton. Scranton was the first municipality to join that was not a third-class city. This comprised the nucleus of the membership throughout most of the 1970s. Altoona and Johnstown come into the group at some time during this period.

At some point, Dunmore joined, becoming the first Borough in the organization.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the organization remained intact, meeting on a quarterly basis, with meetings now lasting a full day. The meetings were held in most member cities on a rotating basis. The meetings were informal, loosely structured and involved each member providing an update on activities in their city, including labor issues, apparatus purchases, and various other items. Some meetings would include a tour of the city or a portion of the city that might have a special fire protection issue.

In 2000, a meeting was held in York, with invitations extended to all Pennsylvania Fire Departments that had career firefighters and a full-time fire chief. This resulted in a westward expansion. Membership in the following years grew to include Erie, Oil City, Titusville, Bradford, Corry, Warren, Meadville, Butler, Franklin, Aliquippa, and Chambersburg to name a few.

Other municipalities followed, including boroughs and townships. The meetings continued on an informal basis. The regular rotation was discontinued, and cities would volunteer to host the meetings. With overnight travel involved for many members, the evening before the meeting would typically involve a dinner.

In the mid-2000s, a sister organization, the Pennsylvania Association of Fire Code Officials (PAFCO) was formed. This organization was incorporated and became a chapter of the International Code Council.

Recognizing that many Chiefs were also the Fire Code Official for their jurisdiction, PAFCO and the Chiefs shared the same meeting locations with PAFCO typically meeting the day before the Chiefs. The PAFCO meetings were expanded to one full day to allow for training to maintain continuing education credits. Much of the training at this time was provided by Dave Diamantes, a nationally known author and instructor.

Training opportunities also expanded for the Chiefs Association, usually with a subject related to leadership or management issues. This expanded the joint PAFCO/Chiefs program to two full days of training with the Chiefs business meeting following on the morning of day three.

Throughout this time, the Chief Association, now known as the Pennsylvania Career Fire Chiefs Association, operated with no formal leadership. The host chief coordinated the meeting. There were no minutes and very little reference to any agenda of the meetings. J. R. Davis, Administrative Captain from Scranton, served as the keeper of the roster of members. The host chief for the upcoming meeting would send meeting notices to the membership.

As things progressed, it became more evident to have a formal voice as an organization. Bylaws were prepared, membership criteria established, and the necessary applications were submitted to become a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation and an IRS designated charitable organization.

The association continues to operate in this manner today.

Organization history compiled by John S. Senft, Fire Chief, retired, City of York Fire Department, October 2023.