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“Warwick is dispatched to every single fire call in Warwick Township,” said Kosin. “I appreciate my brother and sister firefighters in Hartsville for providing mutual aid when needed, but we do not pay Lingohocken Fire, Doylestown, or Warrington for providing mutual aid—and they don’t pay Warwick. We provide mutual aid through a county agreement and out of mutual respect for one another—not through ongoing tax transfers.”
Currently, Warwick Township Fire Company receives 94% of the township’s fire tax revenue. The remaining 6% is sent to Hartsville Fire Company in Warminster Township—a separate municipality with its own taxpayers and fire district.
The revenue-sharing arrangement began in 1959, based on a time when Hartsville shared partial coverage of Warwick. But today, Warwick Township Fire Company covers 100% of fire calls in the township. Hartsville responds only when called via the Bucks County mutual aid system or on certain types of calls, referred to in the fire service as “boxes”—just like every other surrounding department.
In 2004, Warwick Fire Company formally requested to receive 100% of the fire tax. Hartsville objected—not on public safety grounds, but because losing the 6% would “shift the burden back to Warminster taxpayers.” The Warwick Township Board of Supervisors failed to act, and the arrangement has remained in place ever since.
According to township budget records, the 6% sent to Hartsville in 2024 totals $10,662. Over 31 years, that adds up to more than $330,000 in tax dollars sent outside Warwick Township.
“That money could have gone toward maintaining our fire station, upgrading emergency vehicles, replacing safety gear, or recruiting and training volunteers,” Kosin said.
Meanwhile, Warwick Township has doubled—and in some cases quadrupled—permit fees, escrow deposits, and facility usage fees, not out of financial necessity, but to match higher rates in neighboring towns like Doylestown and Warrington—even though Warwick maintains a budget surplus.
“We are charging residents and small businesses more to live and work in Warwick, while still sending their fire tax dollars to another town,” said Kosin. “That’s not responsible government. That’s failing the people you were elected to serve.”
Supervisors Robin Taber, Michael Riotto, and John Cox have yet to take action. Kosin—a longtime nurse, firefighter, and public safety advocate—says it’s time to bring accountability back to township leadership.
“This issue is simple,” she concluded. “If Warwick Fire Company handles 100% of the calls, they deserve 100% of the funding. It’s time we stop subsidizing another township and start respecting the firefighters who serve us daily.”
All facts cited were obtained through Right-to-Know (RTK) requests and official public records published by Warwick Township, and can be found by visiting votebrittanykosin.com/wtfd
Antonio Pucci
Warwick Libertarian Club
[email protected]
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