Plumstead Township's new career fire department is fully staffed after Harley Turner took the oath of office Thursday, Aug. 20, completing a four-person crew the township spent more than a year building.

Turner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with 13 years of volunteer firefighting experience, was sworn in by Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey G. Trauger at the Justice Center in Doylestown. He had been unable to attend the Aug. 13 ceremony in Plumstead when the township's first three career firefighters — Rachel Brick, Benjamin Morris and Daniel Pfeiffer — were officially sworn in.

"We are proud to have Harley join our team and look forward to the experience, leadership, and dedication he will bring to the Plumstead Township Fire and Rescue Department," Fire Chief William Weigman said, according to Patch.

Turner joined the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company in 2013 and has held leadership positions including lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and trustee. He previously worked for Warwick Township Public Works, continues to volunteer with the Warwick and Hilltown fire companies and recently completed his EMT certification.

The four firefighters form the department's initial crew under Weigman and Public Safety Director David Mettin. The Board of Supervisors formally established the Plumstead Township Fire and Rescue Department by ordinance in July, designating it as the township's official career firefighting agency while retaining a combination system in which paid personnel work alongside volunteers from the Plumsteadville, Point Pleasant and Dublin volunteer fire companies.

The career crew strengthens daytime staffing as volunteer companies across Bucks County face growing difficulty assembling crews during working hours. Plumstead's population is nearly 15,000.

To fund the department, the township's 2026 budget added 3.75 mills of property tax, projected to generate about $847,762. For a home assessed at the township average, that works out to roughly $145 per year, according to Central Bucks Now.

Board Chairman Matt Given called the move a major step toward protecting residents when supervisors voted in July.

Turner's three colleagues bring their own credentials, according to the Bucks County Herald. Brick joined the fire service at 16 with Upper Gwynedd Township Fire Department and holds the rank of lieutenant in Montgomery Township. Morris, a member of the Doylestown Fire Company since age 16, was named its 2025 Firefighter of the Year. Pfeiffer has served with the Plumsteadville Volunteer Fire Company since 2014 and currently holds the rank of battalion chief.

Weigman was hired earlier in 2026 after serving as Montgomery Township's fire chief. He also serves as Plumstead's fire marshal and emergency management coordinator.