TimesLeader.com

Survey says: Emergency response times are good

By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com

Results from a recent survey show the majority of Dallas Township residents feel emergency services and response times in the township are good.

The survey was the first step supervisors will take to form a comprehensive plan, which represents a continuation of planning initiatives by the township. Six hundred of the surveys were mailed to township households in June of this year and 376 were returned.

Dallas Township supervisors released results from a township community survey before their regular bi-monthly meeting on Oct. 20.

Jack Varaly, a planning consultant from Pasonick Engineering, the township’s engineer, came up with the idea of a community survey to see what issues are important to people living in the township. Township officials say they were expecting Varaly to present the findings at the special public meeting, but he did not show up.

In the survey, residents had the chance to voice their opinions on township matters including new growth, the most positive and most negative aspect of living in the township, the most important change that should occur and other matters. They were also able to rank the importance of aspects of living in the township, maintenance of roads and highways, the adequacy of emergency services, general services and facilities and recreational opportunities and facilities.

The majority of survey respondents were age 50 and above with the 50 to 59 age group representing 28 percent of those who completed it. Twenty-six percent were ages 60 to 69 and 22 percent were age 70 and above.

Over 50 percent of the survey takers have lived at their residence for more than 20 years, with 41 percent having lived in the Back Mountain prior to relocating to their current home.

The questions that received the most positive responses pertained to the quality and response of police, fire and ambulance services in the township. Seventy-nine percent of respondents ranked police protection as good, 16 percent felt it was fair and 5 percent said it was poor. Eighty percent thought the response times are good, 15 percent said they are fair and five felt they are poor.

The fire department and ambulance received even better ratings. Ninety-one percent of survey takers felt the fire departments are good, 8 percent said they are fair and one percent said they are poor. Ninety-two percent of those who completed the survey said the ambulance service is good, eight percent said fair and none said poor.

Both the fire and ambulance services received a 90 percent good rating for response time. Ten percent said it was fair while none said it was poor.

Many of the people who completed the survey felt restrictive about new growth and development in the township. Only nine percent favor new development while 45 percent are okay with moderate residential development. Forty-six percent opposed development all together.

The availability of outdoor recreation facilities also received a somewhat unfavorable response. Thirty-four percent of those who responded said they are good, 42 percent said fair and 24 percent said poor.

“My impression is that it’s kind of reflective of what we hear at these meetings,” said Attorney Thomas Brennan, the township’s solicitor, of the survey’s findings.

Brennan said the only thing that surprised him were the outdoor recreation results. Brennan said facilities including those in the Dallas School District and Misericordia University are used by many township residents, including him.

Wedgewood Way resident John Newman disagreed with Brennan. He felt there are limited outdoor recreation facilities that are owned and maintained by the township.

Full results from the survey are available for viewing at the township’s municipal building.