There is a long, proud tradition of volunteer firefighting in Delaware County. There is another, more troubling aspect to this tradition that is not talked about as much.

That is the trend that this invaluable volunteer duty is being manned by fewer and fewer people.

Fighting fires may be a young man and woman’s game, but not as many people are heeding that call.

And the numbers just got a little smaller. The Colwyn Fire Co., at least for now, is no more.

Colwyn Borough Council voted Tuesday night to revoke the fire company’s ability to operate in the borough. You can read Correspondent Dan Russo’s account of the hot council meeting by clicking here.

The borough has been in an uproar since early May, when the 17 active members of the fire company resigned en masse, citing persistent problems with the social club that also operates out of the fire company. The resignations came at the same time as a raid of the social club by state agents, who seized two illegal slot machines and bottles of booze bought out of state.

Colwyn is a dry town that does not allow alcohol sales. It was not news to anyone, however, that alcohol was served at the fire company social club.

Now, 103 years of firefighting tradition has come to an ugly halt. The hope is that cooler heads can prevail, that these sides can sit down and hash this situation out rationally.

I wouldn’t count on it, however. For now, fire calls in the borough are being answered by Darby Borough’s Fire Company No. 1.

And the controversy in Colwyn is burning hotter than ever.