Fire Department

EASTERN BERKS FIRE DEPARTMENT

Emergencies Dial 911

(610) 845-2877 (Non Emergency)

Eastern Berks Fire Department was formed in 2011 through the merger of fire companies in Bally, Barto and Bechtelsville. It maintains three stations, including the one at 537 Chestnut Street in Bally. The department provides fire and rescue services to Bally Borough and the surrounding portions of Washington, District and Pike Townships in Berks County, as well as nearby portions of Douglass and Upper Hanover Townships in Montgomery County. For more information, see www.EasternBerksFire.com. 

Since 1924, Goodwill Fire Company has provided fire and rescue services and continues to do so as part of Eastern Berks Fire Department.

Eastern Berks Fire Department was formed in 2011…as a merger of three local fire companies which had worked together for years, each bringing into the new department years of experience and training. Yet history is never static, and so many changes have come to EBFD in the years since the merger. Apparatus has been retired, updated, and newly acquired. Personnel have stayed, gone and come on board. 

 In 2022, one of our legacy buildings (Barto) was sold. We successfully settled on the our new property at 1200 Rt 100 on March 15th, 2024! Throughout it all, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to deliver the very best all volunteer fire and rescue protection possible.

We thank you for your support in 2025 as we conclude another busy year at EBFD. We responded to fires in structures, vehicles, woods and brush; for trees and wires down in the roadway; motor vehicle accidents and rescues; and traffic control. In all there were 506 emergency dispatches in 2025 – 41 of them in Bally.

Over one quarter of our dispatches continue to be requests to assist local EMS units for cardiac arrests, lifting assistance, and providing initial patient care when our local ambulance is out on another call. Another quarter of our calls were for trees & wires down on the roadway. We provided public service & fire prevention education at schools, scouts, churches, community events, as well as fire/rescue, & EMS services to Grandview Speedway every weekend during race season.

Funding still continues to be the most critical long-term need for this department and most others in PA as you see and hear in the news daily. Our 100% volunteer fire personnel cannot continue to respond to the increasing number of needs, at this high level of care and still be expected to hold chicken barbecues, raffles and boot drives, or fill swimming pools to fund the needs of a 21st Century fire/rescue department while still training, practicing and preparing for the next 911 call.

Bally Borough has instituted a fire tax in 2025. We are working with other municipalities to institute a fair and equitable fire tax to provide reliable funding, while having minimum impact on each property owner. Historically, only 25% of all our 9000 residents that we serve give anything towards the volunteer fire/rescue services that you expect to show up and help when you call 911.

Please watch for our 2026 Fund Drive letter which should arrive in your mail shortly.

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