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Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough

Bristol Borough Approves Submitting $1.5 Million Grant Application to Build New Fire Station

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Bristol Borough approved a resolution to apply for state funds to construct a new fire station Monday night.

The resolution reads as:  submission of an Application for Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program Grant Funding in the amount of $1,500,000.00 from the PA Office of the Budget to Construct a new Fire Station Facility.

Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe said Saturday, we became aware of the grant application recently and felt this is a grant we should apply for.

This is only the first step in the process, he added, we’re a long way off from building a new fire house. Maybe even years.

As to potential locations of a brand-new fire facility, DiGuiseppe said a few have come up like Chestnut and Elm Streets where funds already exist to demolish and redevelop the area.

“We’re a long way from making that decision” he said.

Borough Fire Chief Herb Slack said Bristol officials have been truly supportive of the project and one of the goals is finding a suitable centralized location for the project.

“Several locations have been reviewed. The goal is to have a location that is central to the community to maximize firefighter response times and travel to the station and the apparatus response to emergencies in the community. The Mayor and Council have been extremely supportive in moving the project forward.”

Bristol Borough Fire Association President Steve Reeves echoed Slack’s comments.

When I met with Mayor DiGuiseppe and Council President DiGuiseppe during the summer, I characterized the meeting as “productive and positive”. The Borough recognizes the hard work done by the fire companies and the Directors of the Bristol Borough Fire Association over the last four years. My take on the matter is that the Mayor and Council President are committed to this project and want to see it through to make a strong volunteer organization for decades to come.

Much of the work done among the fire companies and partnered by and with the borough comes as direct result of a study commissioned  and completed by the Pennsylvania Community Department of Economic Development (DCED) in 2021.

The report calls for a revamping and codifying the Bristol Borough Municipal Code Chapter 7 as a means to determine, with the Fire Companies, what the Borough and the citizens need in in the 21st Century in regard to Community Fire Protection and the needs of the fire companies.

 

The report also called for:

  • Bristol Borough should facilitate, within a reasonable timeframe, agreed upon by the Borough and the Association of Fire Companies, consolidation of operations of Station 50, Station 51, Station 52, and Station 53/25 into a single location, within the area of Prospect Street between Jefferson and Washington Streets. Bristol Borough should finance and construct a new, contemporary Fire Station to facilitate this.

A little more than 15 months ago, America Hose, Hook and Ladder #2 (Station 25) and Bristol Consolidated Volunteer Fire Company (Station 50) announced they would be merging operations as of October 1. 2022.

Before news of the fire facility grant application became public, Reeves told Lower Bucks Source last week, the BFFA plans to appear before council in a couple of months, after we reorganize this month.

Council will meet Monday night, 7 pm, Borough Hall. Click here to view tomorrow night’s agenda.

Credit: Submitted

Station 51 was built in 1857.  Station 50 built 1927. Station 52 built 1950. Station 25 was built late 1973, Slack said.

 

Council will meet Monday night, 7 pm, Borough Hall. Click here to view tomorrow night’s agenda.

 

Council approved the resolution unanimously.

 

Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough

Bristol Borough Fire Chiefs Statement on Dorrance Street Fire

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Bristol Borough Fire Chief Herb Slack on Tuesday morning released the following statement on last nights Dorrance Street Fire.

It’s only been edited for style:

At  6:11 PM, Bristol Borough Fire Companies were dispatched to 340 Dorrance St for a dwelling fire with possible entrapment.  The first arriving fire chief found two semi-detached dwellings with exposures on both sides.  He immediately asked for the second alarm because of the volume of fire in the two dwellings and rapidly spreading to the exposures.
Fire companies quickly stretched hose lines to protect the exposures and begin extinguishing the fire in the two dwelling.  A third alarm was added for additional manpower.

Credit: Submitted

During fire fighting operations, it was determined that there was a one resident had not gotten out of the dwelling.  Due to the intense fire, with the first floors fully involved, firefighters were not able to enter the dwelling to attempt to rescue a residents who was wheel-chair bound and had been unable to escape.  There was one additional civilian injury and that person was transported to the hospital with possible smoke inhalation.  There were no firefighter injuries.

Credit: Joe Nelson

Fire was placed under control at 7:39 PM.  Fire companies remained on location for several hours due to the extensive overhauling to ensure the fire was extinguished.  The last fire company left at 11:26 PM.
Mutual aid companies supporting fire fighting operations including fire companies from Bristol Township, Bensalem, Falls Township, Middletown Township, Morrisville and Burlington County.
The fire remains under investigation by Bristol Borough and the Bucks County Fire Marshal’s Office.

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Emergency Crews Prepare for Incoming Blizzard as Lower Bucks Municipalities Declare Storm Plans

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Credit:: Veinna Carcel

Lower Bucks municipalities have declared disaster/snow emergencies in advance of the expected snow storm that the National Weather Service says will dump anywhere between 14 to 18 inches on the area.

A winter storm warning is still in effect from Sunday, Feb 22 to Monday, Feb 23.

Each municipality has its own link. For more information and updates, please click on their associated link.

Bensalem Township Disaster Emergency declared immediately for the pending snow storm. Click here to see more details.

Bristol Borough – Snow information/requirements have been posted on their website. Click here to see the details. 

Bristol Township – Snow Emergency effective 12 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 through 12 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Click here to see more details.

Falls Township – Snow Emergency starts Sunday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. and expires on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 6 a.m. Click here for details.

Langhorne Borough – Snow Emergency starts Sunday, Feb. 22 at noon until Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. No parking. Click here for details.

Lower Makefield Township – Snow information has been posted on Meta. Click here to see the details.

Middletown TownshipSnow Emergency is in effect from Sunday, Feb. 22 at 12 p.m. to Monday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. . Click here to see details.

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Morrisville Borough Snow Emergency is in effect from Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. to Monday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.  Click here to see the details.

Newtown Township –  A Snow Emergency is in effect from 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 until 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.  Click here to see the details.

Penndel Borough – Snow Emergency has been declared from 12 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026, through 12 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026. Click here for more details and click here for more on the ordinance.

Tullytown Borough – Snow Emergency proclamation in effect from Sunday Feb. 22 – 6 p.m. to Monday Feb. 23 – 6 p.m. Click here to see more details.

Warminster Township – Disaster Emergency has been declared for the incoming snow storm, effective Sunday  Feb. 22, 2026 at 12 p.m. through Tuesday, Feb. 24,2026 at 12 p.m..  Click here to see the details and click here to see the declaration from Township Manager Tom Scott.

Yardley Borough – Snow Emergency proclamation in effect from Sunday Feb. 22 – 4 p.m. to Monday Feb. 23 – 4 p.m. . Click here to see the details. and click here to see declaration/other information from Mayor Caroline Thompson.

The primary concern is safety.  Take care of yourselves and check on neighbors and those who may be vulnerable.

Please stay safe, take all necessary precautions, and keep your devices charged.

Click here for updates from the National Weather Service 

Click here for PECO’s outage map.

 

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Cops, Courts & Fire -Bristol Borough

Cops: Bristol Man Charged with Robbery; Suspect Identified Via Sports Jacket Seen on Video During Altercation

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A Bristol Borough man was taken into custody and jailed Friday night accused of robbery, simple assault, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct stemming from a Jan. 26 incident at the Sunoco Gas Station on Bath Road and Rt 13.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Bristol Borough Police were dispatched to the gas station/convenience store at 10:45  p.m by 911 after the assault/robbery was called in by gas station staff.

Responding police officers met with the employee who said two men entered the store and one attempted to rob him, assaulted him, damaged the store and then fled on foot. The employee said one of the two suspects reached through the safety glass that is usually in place during night hours, punching him in the face and neck area several times and breaking his glasses, the criminal complaint alleges.

Officers noted, in the probable cause, visible bruising on the employee’s face from the robbery assault. In addition, there were a number of store items damaged.

The victim told police the direction the suspects fled which officers canvassed and came up empty in the suspect search.

On Jan 27 officers reviewed gas station security video footage (no audio) showing, according to the probable cause, Mark Rodriguez (who police had yet to identify) getting into an argument with the victim, reaching underneath the security window, pulling it up and pummeling the victim.

The unidentified man with Rodriguez remained nearby but was on his cell phone, police said, at the time of the assault and was wearing a Bristol High School sports jacket.

Bristol Borough Police identified the owner of the jacket (a minor) with help from school district officials. The minor provided a written statement to police identifying a family member of his/hers (Rodriguez) as the suspect who assaulted the Sunoco Gas Station employee and that he was present for the altercation.

 

The written statement was facilitated by Bristol Borough Middle/High School Lead Teacher Mike Poploskie, and sent via email to lead investigator/officer Chris Tehan. Subsequently police were able to confirm Rodriguez’s identity and that he lives on the 150 block of Otter Street.

About one week later, police met with the parents of the student who was present at the altercation in which the minor was interviewed by police.

The youngster provided police with a “voluntary” statement confirming his/her previous written statement and allowing police to have a warrant issued for Rodriguez’s arrest.

Rodriguez was arraigned by on-call District Judge Mark D. Douple last Friday on robbery and related counts. He set bail at 10 percent of $75,000.00 and remanded Rodriguez to Bucks County Jail until his next hearing date, currently set for Feb 25.

 

 

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