Montco commissioners honor SPS fire first responders

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Montgomery County commissioners honored first responders to the SPS Technologies fire at their board meeting Thursday.

Chair of the Board of Commissioners Neil Makhija said 80 fire companies from the region responded to the four-alarm blaze that broke out Feb. 17.

“We’re here today to recognize those who put themselves at risk,” Makhija said. “And I wanted to say, to have the largest fire, essentially in the history of Montgomery County that we’re aware of, and to have that occur and require the level of response that it did and not have a single fatality or serious injury, is a tremendous testament to our first responders, our firefighters, their training, their capability and their commitment.”

Dan and Chelsea Katz, Cheltenham natives and owners of the Highland Restaurant and Bar, were also honored for their support of first responders during the disaster. They opened up their restaurant to serve as a command center for the fire companies.

Makhija said the county’s commerce department is also working to support the 500 SPS employees impacted by the fire.

“We’re going to work to make sure that their jobs can stay in Montgomery County and advocate to do whatever we can, whether it’s finding a new site and location or working on finding them other companies that they can apply their skills to,” he said. “So we are absolutely committed to the community, the employees and ensuring that we as a county do everything we can to get people back on their feet.”

At the meeting, commissioners also addressed the case of measles that has been documented in the county. Makhija said county health officials conducted contact tracing and “worked very quickly to trace and contain the case.”

Commissioners also said they are working to ensure critical federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are delivered. The county was awarded a $5 million federal Continuum of Care grant, which serves as the main source of funding for the county’s homeless services partner program, Your Way Home. Nine different nonprofits, including the domestic violence agency Laurel House, are impacted by the funding freeze.

Commissioner Tom DiBello said he has been in contact with Sen. Dave McCormick’s and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s offices to find out when the money will be released.

“As county commissioners, we work very hard for Montgomery County, and our duty is to reach out to state or federal elected officials when necessary to support what needs to happen here in Montgomery County,” he said. “And that’s a lot of what I spent my time this week talking with representatives down in Washington.”

Immigrant rights organizers with Unides Para Servir spoke during the public comment section, asking the county to pass a Welcoming Act to promote more inclusive, welcoming policies for immigrant communities.

Eider Fernández, a member of Unides Para Servir, said immigrant communities in Norristown and beyond have been significantly impacted by the escalation in immigration law enforcement since President Donald Trump took office in January.

“Una de las cosas más importantes es que ellos nos den el apoyo y creo que sería algo grandioso, como les dije yo ahorita delante de ellos, sería algo histórico que ellos pongan este Welcoming Act”, dijo él. 

“One of the most important things is that they support us and I think it would be something really great, and like I said in front of them right now, it would be historical if they put forth this Welcoming Act,” he said.

Commissioners Jamila Winder and Makhija responded to the comment by thanking the organizers for attending and sharing, although they did not promise any action toward passing a Welcoming Act.

“It’s heartbreaking to see what immigrant communities are facing throughout this country,” Winder said. “I’m really proud of Montgomery County for staying true to our values and making sure that we make Montgomery County an inclusive place to live.”

Makhija cited the recent appointment of Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo as the county’s first director of immigrant affairs as a step toward more inclusion of immigrant communities in local government.

Fernández said he was “happy” with the commissioners’ responses.

“Sabemos al menos que nos van a escuchar”, dijo él. 

“We know at least that they’re going to listen to us,” he said.