Delaware County to transform former fire department building into community center
GLENOLDEN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Delaware County is moving forward to transform the Briarcliffe Fire Company into a multi-use county community resource center.
The building once housed the fire department, which was disbanded following allegations of racism during a recorded Zoom call.
Darby Township officials voted to approve the change.
SEE ALSO: Delco fire company will disband after racist remarks caught on video
The new community center, which will be on the 700 block of Beech Avenue, will be used for offices, meeting and training space, and storage.
The Briarcliffe Fire Company was originally suspended for 30 days back in February 2022 after a recording revealed offensive comments about Black firefighters and residents.
The original call was to discuss the consolidation of services between the Briarcliffe, Goodwill, and Darby Township fire companies.
When county and state officials got off the call, members of the Briarcliffe Fire Company allegedly stayed on and engaged in a discussion that included racial slurs.
RELATED: Board suspends some Briarcliffe firefighters after racist remarks caught on video
Some of the comments included the use of the "N" word, calling Black firefighters lazy and saying there were "too many" African Americans living in the area.
Remarks were also made about the death of Fanta Bility, the 8-year-old Black girl killed by Sharon Hill police.
The firefighters who made the alleged comments didn't know other firefighters were on the line from the Goodwill Fire Company.
