There’s a familiar echo of keystone heritage to be heard in last week’s announcement that the city and township of Butler intend to share a fire chief. The decision hearkens to the very roots of our commonwealth and nation.

Ever since Benjamin Franklin organized Philadelphia’s Union Fire Company in 1736, firefighters have been widely respected for their straightforward approach to solving problems. We could learn something from their example.

Firefighters — fire chiefs specifically — pursue their craft like an algebra equation: how to get a first-response crew to the scene as quickly as possible to determine how much more of a response will be needed. There’s the first wave of response, second response, backup and standby reserve.

The forward thinking dates back to Franklin’s example. He encouraged social organizations to center around the fire company to focus on training, fire prevention and preparedness. When Union Fire Company grew to 30 members, Franklin encouraged the formation of fire companies in other neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

It was advantageous back then to have several fire companies spread out across town. Telephone and radio were nonexistent, making a loud fire bell one of the most vital accessories. Smaller, horse-drawn apparatus were cumbersome. It was important to spread out the limited resources and rely on a multitude of volunteers. Franklin’s Union Fire Company had a bell, 225 buckets and an imported English hand pump — but its most prized resource had to be its volunteers, and Franklin himself.

A century ago, it was not unusual for each fire company to have its own band, baseball team and social hall with crack kitchen staff. Where equipment, training and technology were lacking, volunteers were abundant.

Conditions today are very different. Communications technology and equipment are highly advanced. Fire and EMT training is exhaustive. But there are too few volunteers — in part because the rigors of volunteer firefighting are greater than most careers.

In 2005, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ budget and finance committee released a report titled “The Feasibility of Regionalizing Pennsylvania’s Volunteer Fire Companies,” which observed that the state had a large number of independent fire departments but a shrinking number of volunteers.

The report stated that all-volunteer companies covered 96 percent of the state, while the national average is only 73 percent. Since the mid-1970s, the state had seen a decrease of about 8,000 volunteers per year.

In the 13 years since, the Mars and Valencia volunteer departments became the first in the county to take the plunge when they merged to form Adams Area Fire District.

On Jan. 1, 2014, the Greenwood Village, Lyndora and Meridian volunteer fire companies merged to form Butler Township Volunteer Fire District 3.

In December 2015, Harmony Fire District was born of the merger between the former Zelienople and Harmony fire departments.

In December, volunteer departments of Adams Area, Callery, Cranberry Township, Evans City Area and Harmony Fire District formed the Standard Action For Emergency Response group, or SAFER, to come up with a set of standard operation guidelines to make responding to mutual aid calls safer and more efficient.

The pursuit of a chief to oversee the city and township departments simply extends this trend of maximizing resources for public service.

The result will be a safer community.

But equally important are the efficient and competent delivery of service, increased performance and training standards, and the reduction of local fire insurance premiums for property owners in the township and city.

The proposal to share a fire chief is made possible by advances in technology and training; the proposal is necessary because of the continued fall-off of available volunteers and the relentless pressure for efficient public service.

It’s clear thinking that will lead to good governing. It’s how fire chiefs think. Ben Franklin himself would have approved.