The Jim Thorpe Borough Council has tabled appointing a new fire chief until the August meeting, following an outcry from the community.

Former Fire Chief Vincent Yaich Sr., resigned as chief in June. Deputy Chief Bill Diehm, also a longtime chief, has been in charge until a new chief is appointed.

A message posted on Facebook earlier in the day by Diligent firefighter Joshua Finsel encourage residents to attend the meeting,

“Please come, wear a red shirt in solidarity with our firefighters, and let Borough Council know that we want a qualified Fire Chief that lives in Jim Thorpe!” was how the post began.

A number of residents attended the meeting wearing red shirts.

During the public comments section, Gail Solomon, a resident of Center Avenue, Jim Thorpe, voiced her concerns.

“The ordinance states that the person considered for chief must have four years as a Jim Thorpe Fire Department officer and a resident of the borough,” Solomon stated.

“To those in attendance: you should be concerned; not only for today for our fire departments; but, also for the way things seem to be decided by one or two individuals. This is not how this town should be governed.”

Robert Ewashko, of West Broadway, Jim Thorpe, also spoke briefly.

“I feel that the fire chief should be someone that lives in the borough, because of all the disaster that we’re seeing around the area. What if something happens and all the access into Jim Thorpe is blocked? Our fire chief should already be here.”

Finsel spoke about a recent fire call on Broadway.

“All the guys that were there were seasoned veterans. After the call, we went back to the fire department. As we were leaving, I was listening to what they were talking about. And, they brought up that there’s a possibility of a new chief who doesn’t live in town; and, they said if that would occur, that they would probably hang it up.”

Other members of the public did not speak at the meeting about the fire chief issue, just to say that they agreed with Solomon’s statements.

Later in the meeting, a motion was made to appoint Charles Sgrillo as the new fire chief; but, to waive the occupancy requirement. Sgrillo lives in Bear Creek Lakes, Penn Forest Township.

Sgrillo was at the meeting and was invited to address the borough council.

“I spent 34 years with some the busiest fire companies in Philadelphia.”

Sgrillo was working with the Jim Thorpe Fire Department, helping to train new members when he was asked about the open fire chief position. He applied for the position and was interviewed by the borough council committee.

Sgrillo said he would look forward to working with the members of the area fire departments, and would work on promoting smoke detectors and meeting with children in the area schools to explain the work of the fire department and hopefully convince some to volunteer.

Sgrillo bought a home in 2014 and became a full-time resident of Penn Forest Township in 2019.

“Jim Thorpe is my home,” Sgrillo said. “If I can help build the best fire department in the area with pride and tradition of excellence, I did my job, and that’s what I plan to do.”

Borough council got as far as a motion and a second motion to hire Sgrillo. However, members of the audience expressed reservations.

Solomon then announced that she had received a text message from a local firefighter who was requesting that the hiring be tabled, and he would like to apply for the position.

Council member Ted Larizzio then made a motion that council table the hiring for a month to “make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.”

Council members decided to go into an executive session to discuss the matter. When they returned to the meeting, a motion was made to postpone the appointment until August.

“We had a motion and a second to hire a chief,” Council President Greg Strubinger said, “then we had a motion to table this appointment of the chief.”

Councilman Connor Rodgers seconded that motion.

“The applications for the fire chief; Council has made the decision to leave this open at this time until July 17 at 4:30 p.m. Anyone that’s interested in the chief position can submit their interest until then. At that point, we will do another round of interviews and appoint the chief at the August meeting.”

Anyone interested in applying, contact the borough office at 570-325-3025.