The president of Upper Darby Fire Company 1 on West Chester Pike -- the nonprofit that owns the building -- cited changes in how the township funds its fire companies as the reason for the sale.
"We cannot be in the hole using our funds all the time," said Peter Rorke, president of Upper Darby Fire Company 1.
Rorke said the move comes after the township changed its funding process. He said Upper Darby Township previously provided a monthly stipend to cover most operating costs.
"Upper Darby sent us a stipend monthly to cover most of the expenses incurred," he said.
That stipend totaled $14,000 a month, with equal checks sent to each of the township's five firehouses, or about $850,000 per year. Township officials have since shifted to a reimbursement model that requires the fire companies to submit bills and receipts for payment.
"The only change here is there needs to be accountability for taxpayer dollars," said Deputy Mayor Crandall Jones.
Fire Chief Nick Martin said the new process is straightforward.
"It's as simple as sending us a ledger of what you spent money on and the receipts you spent the money on, and we will cut you a check for it," Martin said.
Township officials said the process changed in March, and they learned only this morning that Fire Company 1 intends to sell the building rather than operate under the new system.
"This is certainly an orchestrated and planned event, and I think we're very disappointed in the lack of communication," Martin said.
Rorke said selling the building does not eliminate township involvement.
"We have the building up for sale that doesn't preclude the township from buying the building," he said.
The fire company also cited concerns about staffing. Rorke said the township now staffs the firehouse 24/7 with career firefighters, limiting opportunities for volunteers.
"They don't have enough room for the volunteers to get in the truck," he said.
Township officials dispute that claim, saying there is still space for fully trained volunteers but that they are not responding.
"There are a couple of volunteers from station 37 that show up on the weekends for a few hours, and that's great," Martin said.
The township said it would be interested in purchasing the firehouse, but the company said that once the listing goes up next week, the township would have to compete on the open market.