STATION 73 Anticipated August opening for newest firehouse

Construction of a new Fire Station 73 on Duff Road is on track with an expected opening in August.

“If weather cooperates and construction remains on schedule, we would expect to welcome the community to an open house at Station 73 sometime in late August,” said Fire Chief Rick Prinz.

The Duff Road station, built in 1970, was remodeled in 1992, but the building did not meet current guidelines for fire stations. The new fire station will be larger and accommodate future growth while featuring a training room, appropriate clean storage for fire gear and fitness room.

The Board of Trustees accepted a bid for construction from Graybach LLC in March 2020. The station is expected to cost about $3.5 million.

Station 73 crews have been working from temporary facilities at 4976 Provident Drive, a short distance from the current station location.

Funding for the new station comes from Tax Increment Financing Funds, rather than fire levy funds.

New 4-legged Officer Joins West Chester PD

Officer Mike Veeneman has been assigned to handle Canine Max. Canine Max takes over for Canine Jax and joins Canine Rico to bring the West Chester Police K9 Unit one dog nearer to a full complement of three.

Cameras enhance Neighborhood Watch

Technology can enhance Neighborhood Watch by offering the ability to share information, images and video in real time through social media apps such as Nextdoor.com, Neighbors App by Ring, Facebook, etc. This technology takes Neighborhood Watch programs to a new level.

The West Chester community has always worked hand-in-hand with police officers to fight crime and with firefighters to protect homes. With easily available and accessible home security cameras, the community has the ability to share even more information faster in order to make our community safer.

Anyone with a security camera or a doorbell camera, such as Ring, Nest or Blink, can register their camera with the West Chester Police Department. If a crime occurs in your neighborhood, police may contact you to see if anything might have been recorded on your camera around the time of the crime. If something suspicious was captured on your camera, you may choose to notify the police department and share the video.

Canine Max reported for duty with the West Chester Police Department this spring.

The 1-year-old Dutch Shepherd recently graduated from an intensive, six week canine training program at Shallow Creek Kennels, a premier police service dog training facility located in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Canine Max was purchased through the Matt Haverkamp Foundation, a local non-profit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement agencies in the Tri-state area. Training was funded by a local resident with a passion for dogs. The West Chester Township Police Department K9 Unit was founded in 1993.

This does not replace a 911 call in case of an emergency requiring immediate attention.

By registering with this program, residents are not obligated to provide the video and they are not giving direct video access to the police or fire departments. By registering, residents are simply providing police and fire with another tool for keeping West Chester neighborhoods safe. Scan the QR code to register today.