About half of Apollo Hose Company No. 2's regular bingo players have stopped showing up.
Cash prizes have been increased, but it hasn't helped, said bingo
chairwoman Shelby Miller. She thinks that the state smoking ban is
responsible for the department's loss of revenue.
Several local fire departments are noticing that the ban has driven
players away from their bingos, resulting in a loss of profits that
help keep some departments on top of bills.
The ban -- implemented in September -- prohibits smoking at public events at fire halls, including bingo.
The revenue Apollo Hose regularly made at bingos prior to the ban
has decreased greatly -- they've lost money twice in the last month,
Miller said
"That is our bread and butter," she said. "That's our livelihood, that's how we pay our bills."
The state smoking ban prohibits smoking at most public places,
including restaurants, workplaces, private clubs and a portion of
casino floors. Under the law, fire departments could vote on whether to
allow smoking at private events, but had no choice in banning smoking
at public events.
About 45 people regularly attended Elderton Fire Department's weekly
bingo, said Amanda Bartosiewicz, bingo chairwoman. The field dipped to
28 players at the lowest after the ban's implementation, she said.
"The prize money is not enough to bring your smokers in," she said.
Borough Mayor Larry Prugh, who helps at the department's bingos, agreed.
"The crowds have been down since the smoking ban," he said. "That's one of their big draws is bingo."
Bartosiewicz estimated that 75 percent of people smoked while playing.
"We did implement smoking breaks," she said. "I'm sure that has helped a little bit."
Elderton's bingo revenue is used as a "cushion" fund, she said, and is not specifically for bills.
"We did not rely on the profit to run our fire hall," she said.
Several players have told Bartosiewicz they're going to go to a
casino where they can smoke, she said, or attend other fire
departments' bingos that still allow smoking. Bartosiewicz said she
knows of four local departments that still permit smoking at bingos.
State Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Ford City) said he will be proposing an
amendment to the ban that would make smoking in fire halls a decision
for departments to make.
Pyle voted against the ban.
In rural areas, departments depend on fundraisers like bingo, he said.
"We've got a number carrying truck payments" and they're "not able
to generate revenue, largely because bingo attendance is way down," he
said.
At a large Oct. 3 fire in Ford City, Pyle said members of most of
the fire companies that were called to the scene shared concerns about
the ban.
Shelby Miller of Apollo Hose is hopeful that lawmakers can help, but
understands that the department's future could be in jeopardy.
"We're proud of what we've built ... and to watch it all fade away over something so stupid," she said.
Bingo was canceled two weeks ago due to a lack of players, she said.
Apollo Borough gives its two fire departments a fuel stipend
annually, said Tom Coulter, chief of Hose Co. 2. But the rest --
insurance, bills, equipment, training -- must be paid by the
departments through donations, fundraiser profits or grants, he said.
"We're getting to the point where we're going to have to tap into
our savings," Coulter said. "With every week that goes by, it gets more
critical.
Ambrose Battaglia, bingo chairman at Kittanning Township Fire
Department, said about 10 to 15 people have stopped coming to weekly
bingo. He attributed the decrease to the smoking ban.
"I would say we're down about 10 percent probably," he said.
The resulting decrease in revenue could affect the department's ability to keep up with truck payments and bills, he said.
The smoking ban has written a different story for the Ford Cliff Fire Department.
"It has affected us in a way, but in a way we still have people who
come," said Laurie Cochran, who helps at the department's weekly bingo.
The department averages about 45 players at its bingos, she said.
Sometimes that figure decreases and other weeks it's about the same,
she said.
"Everybody is used to it now," she said of the ban. "It's a small
community and everybody that has always helped us out ... have always
stuck by us with everything."
Across the river from Apollo in Westmoreland County, Oklahoma Fire
Department has lost about one-third of its average of 100 bingo players since
the smoking ban began, said president Keith Fetterman. A loss of
profits has resulted that could affect the department's ability to keep
a new fire truck, he said.
"Now we have to decide what to pay and what not to pay," Fetterman said. "Not only do you not make any money, you lose money."
He blamed some of the losses to a struggling economy, but said some
bingo players have decided to go where they're allowed to smoke -- casinos.
Fetterman said he would like to create a joint force with area fire
departments to put pressure on lawmakers or discuss other options.
"Everybody just takes for granted that the fire department or
ambulance is going to be there to take care of them," he said. "We
worry about the bars and the night clubs and the casinos. Are they
saving somebody's life?"
Written by Renatta Signorini
www.pittsburghlive.com
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