After months in the making, a long-awaited merger between a pair of fire companies in Rush Township is official.

Barry Messerschmidt, fire chief and president of Hometown Fire Company, informed the township’s board of supervisors on Thursday that the unification of the Hometown Fire Company and Quakake Fire Company is complete.

Messerschmidt noted that since September, as a result of the actions by the supervisors, the two fire companies had been working on a merger while encountering various roadblocks along the way.

On April 13, he said the Orphans’ Court of Schuylkill County approved the merger of the two nonprofit corporations, with notice also given to the Office of the Attorney General of such granted petition.

While the fire company attorney still has a few things to complete, the merger has been approved, and they will move forward with one company servicing the township and the surrounding areas, Messerschmidt said.

“To dispel any rumors that may have been circulating, the fire station (post office building) will remain, and we shortly begin operating apparatus out of this facility, the extent of which apparatus is still to be determined.”

Messerschmidt said that on Saturday, members will be at Station 2 to begin cleanup and to work on various projects both in the truck room and on the grounds.

Anyone wishing to join the ranks of volunteers may stop by, and one of the members will assist with the application process, he said.

In February, Messerschmidt informed supervisors that the merger between the fire companies was on hold.

He said at that time that things were “moving forward,” and that “we’re getting the equipment back into shape to use for fire calls.”

That includes what was Quakake’s tanker and pumper, he said.

Messerschmidt said at that time some of the members from Quakake have joined Hometown.

In October, about 50 people — among them residents and firefighters — attended a public meeting to discuss fire protection in the township at the Hometown Fire Company in Hometown.

That meeting was to review changes in fire protection to the township, and to discuss the facts about the changes, after supervisors earlier that month agreed to provide township firefighting funding only to the Hometown Volunteer Fire Company. That action cut all township funding to the Quakake Volunteer Fire Company.

Additionally, supervisors at that time agreed to remove the Quakake Volunteer Fire Company from being called out for emergencies through the Schuylkill County 911 communications system.

Messerschmidt said at that time the intention was to keep Quakake’s fire equipment and fire station open under the Hometown Fire Company.

Nearby, members of the Brockton Fire Company and Mary D Volunteer Fire Company in Schuylkill Township are also considering combining operations.