ALBURTIS, Pa. — As elected officials and journalists scrambled out of the way, firefighters squeezed into their fire engine Monday morning at Alburtis Fire Station.
With a wall on one side and the rescue truck on the other, there wasn't enough room to fully open the doors.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and local officials had gathered to celebrate a $1.6 million grant to construct a new fire station when the call of small brushfire on Sweetwood Road arrived.
"On behalf of the people of Alburtis, I need to send a very heartfelt thank you to the Congressman and your entire staff."Alburtis Mayor Katheen Palmer, to Rep. Ryan Mackenzie
The hulking truck slipped out the back garage door; the front doors aren't big enough to let the engine out.
The moment encapsulated what borough and Lower Macungie Township officials have known for years.
The existing Alburtis Fire Station, which has served the community for more than seven decades, is simply too small to easily accommodate a modern fire department.
A utility truck has to park in a shed on the grounds, and firefighters have had to double up on lockers — there simply isn't room for more, Lower Macungie Township Fire Chief Ryan Trexler said.
Lower Macungie Township Fire Department absorbed the borough fire department in 2023 after a years-long merger.
"On behalf of the people of Alburtis, I need to send a very heartfelt thank you to the Congressman and your entire staff," Mayor Katheen Palmer told Mackenzie.
Government reopening frees money
Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, helped secure funding through the Community Project Fund, also known as congressional earmarks.
The money for the station became official when Congress voted to reopen the federal government last week after a record-long shutdown.
"There's more work to be done. I will continue to support our first responders all across the greater Lehigh Valley."U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie
Mackenzie, who's represented the area for over 14 years between his time in the General Assembly and Congress, said he's watched the community rely more and more and its fire services as it's grown over the past three decades.
The station has responded to more than 300 calls so far in 2025, and it can't continue to do so in its cramped quarters, he said.
"There's more work to be done," Mackenzie said. "I will continue to support our first responders all across the greater Lehigh Valley."
Mackenzie left the event to return to Washington, D.C., where the U.S. House is expected to hold votes later in the day.
Shortly after he left, demonstrators gathered outside his offices to hold their weekly rallies protesting his votes to cut Medicaid and SNAP funding through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this year.
A big step toward reality
Plans for the new 10,000 square-foot station are in the early phases.
Trexler said the goal is to construct a $3 million facility on the same property, but facing West School Street.
Township officials still are exploring state funding options, including grants and low-interest loans, he said.
"The grant really put a period at the end of the sentence."Lower Macungie Township Fire Chief Ryan Trexler
There's no official timetable on the project yet, though the congressional funding should go a long way toward making it a reality.
"The grant really put a period at the end of the sentence," Trexler said.
By keeping the station on the existing property, the department should be able to ensure quick response times to emergency calls, he said.
Many of the volunteers at the Alburtis station are clustered around the current site, meaning response times would suffer if moved too far.
The site also provides coverage south of the region's railroad tracks, which covers the department since its other two stations are further north, Trexler said.
