The $500 lawsuit is the latest chapter in a years-long battle over fire service accountability in Monroe County
TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY — Tobyhanna Township has filed a civil complaint against the Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Company in magisterial district court, according to court records obtained by the Pocono Review.
The complaint, docketed as MJ-43404-CV-0000127-2026, was filed on April 10 before Magisterial District Judge Richard P. White and lists a claim amount of $500. The civil complaint was issued via hand delivery to the fire company, which is listed at an address in Pocono Summit, PA 18346. The township is listed as the plaintiff with an address in Pocono Pines, PA 18350.
A hearing is scheduled for May 14, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge White. The specific nature of the $500 claim has not been publicly detailed in the docket, and no disposition has been entered. The case remains active.
A Relationship Defined by Conflict
While the dollar amount is small, the lawsuit lands against a backdrop of deep institutional conflict between Tobyhanna Township and the volunteer fire companies that serve its residents — a saga that has played out across multiple courtrooms, multiple fire companies, and nearly a decade of escalating disputes in Monroe County.
Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Company, known locally as Station 33, was founded in 1961 and has served the eastern portion of Tobyhanna Township, including the area around Kalahari Resort and large residential developments in Pocono Summit.
But the company’s relationship with the township has been rocky for years. In September 2017, Tobyhanna Township deactivated the Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Company entirely, citing missing financial records dating back to 2015 and concerns about operational capacity. Township Manager John Jablowski said at the time that the township had repeatedly requested adequate financial statements and never received them.
The situation worsened when the fire company’s chief acknowledged that members were being actively interviewed by the Monroe County District Attorney’s office regarding possible financial mismanagement. That revelation prompted the township to pull the company from service and implement a dual dispatch system, routing calls to the Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company and the Pocono Mountain Fire Company instead.
Neighboring Coolbaugh Township followed suit, announcing it would also stop using Pocono Summit’s services.
The fire company remained shut down for more than two years. It wasn’t until late 2019 that Pocono Summit was cleared to resume responding to emergency calls. Pat Timothy, then president of the fire company, described the financial issues as a misunderstanding, saying the supervisors had determined that whatever problems existed had been resolved.
The Tobyhanna Township Fire Wars
The Pocono Summit situation unfolded alongside an even more contentious battle between Tobyhanna Township and its other fire company — the Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company, Station 41, based in Pocono Pines.
That dispute traces back to failed negotiations over a Memorandum of Understanding between the township and both fire companies. According to township records, TTVFC President Ed Tutrone refused to sign the MOU unless the township transferred ownership of the Blakeslee Fire Building on Route 115 — a taxpayer-funded facility — to the fire company. The supervisors rejected the demand.
When the MOU process collapsed, supervisors moved to draft a fire ordinance instead. In August 2022, the Board of Supervisors passed a 13-page Fire Ordinance that fire company officials said gave the township sweeping, unilateral authority over fire operations — including the power to declare a company delinquent and seize control of its finances.
Tutrone, the fire company president, called the ordinance an overreach. “It’s solely their discretion of whether or not we’re delinquent,” he said, warning that the ordinance could escalate from a letter to a full township takeover of operations.
The Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company pulled itself from service on August 22, 2022. The township filed for an injunction, and hearings were held before Judge Higgins in December 2022. Mediation failed to produce a resolution.
Ultimately, the township created an entirely new entity — the Tobyhanna Township Bureau of Fire, Station 44 — and began recruiting its own volunteers. The two sides entered a legal battle over ownership of the fire trucks.
Three Fire Entities, One Township
Today, Tobyhanna Township lists three separate fire entities on its official website: the Tobyhanna Township Volunteer Fire Company (Station 41), the Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Company (Station 33), and the Tobyhanna Township Bureau of Fire (Station 44). The township also operates a Fire Commission intended to coordinate fire services across the municipality.
Pocono Summit Volunteer Fire Company remains listed as a recognized fire protection unit by the Board of Supervisors. The township’s Volunteer Service Credit Program lists PSVFC as eligible for the clothing allowance program, which requires members to respond to 25 percent of calls, attend 25 percent of drills, and attend six business meetings annually.
The new civil complaint suggests that tensions between the township and Pocono Summit have resurfaced — or never fully resolved. Whether the $500 claim relates to financial reporting requirements under the fire ordinance, building or equipment issues, or some other dispute is not yet clear from the docket.
What to Watch
The May 14 hearing before Judge White will be the first public proceeding in the case. Because this was filed at the magisterial district court level, any appeal of the judge’s decision would move the case to the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas.
The Pocono Review will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as they become available. Readers with information about this case are encouraged to contact the newsroom.
Court records referenced in this article were obtained from the Pennsylvania Magisterial District Judicial System (MDJS). The docket was printed on April 19, 2026.
This is a developing story.