ZELIENOPLE — When the Harmony Fire Police disbanded, the borough found itself in need of volunteers trained to direct traffic for events and emergencies.

Now Zelienople Police Department is organizing an auxiliary force to operate under the department and fill that role.

Police Chief Jim Miller is leading the initiative and said while auxiliary police are more limited in what they can do, according to borough and state laws, they still serve a vital function.

“We always depended on them to help us with our parades and so forth,” Miller said. “The borough has allowed to appoint auxiliary police to help with traffic control. They’d be under the police department.”

Auxiliary police will be all volunteers over the age of 21. They must maintain their own medical insurance and pass a background check.

Their primary responsibility will be traffic control at events or at emergencies when called, Miller said, and the department already has around half a dozen residents expressing interest.

“We got five, six or seven people interested in doing it,” he said. “They’d be in a uniform similar to police. They could not respond in any emergency fashion.”

That means no personal vehicles outfitted with lights and sirens rushing to accidents or other emergencies.

“It can’t be like the fire police; there’s more limitations on it,” Miller said. “No one would be allowed to go down a road with red lights or anything like that.”

He explained the role has been defined by law, and others with experience in similar outfits.

These guidelines include requirements that volunteers be at least 21 years of age, maintain their own medical insurance and pass a background check.

“We set the rules up, tried to say this is what we want to do,” Miller said.

The borough council approved these rules at Monday’s council meeting.

While the organization of the auxiliary is under way, Miller does not expect it will be complete in time for the borough’s main events: the Fourth of July and Horse Trading Days.

For that, the borough will likely pay officers from other departments who offered to help out.

Anyone who would like to volunteer for the auxiliary can contact Zelienople Police Department.